Rum-Runner Girls
by nissanity
Summary: Adrift in the Prohibition-era of Chicago, a runner for the mafia's bootlegger scene meets a lounge singer with her own checkered past - - AU, NanoFate, mature content
1. Chapter 1 - The Blind Tiger

**A/N: **This a new M-rated story I've come up with in lieu of continuing _The Sabers of Il Santi _for the moment (which I may continue at a future time after seeing the outpouring of support for the story. I am so grateful to all the readers for your support, truly.) I hope you will forgive me for discontinuing that story for the time being, and enjoy this brand new one instead for now. The setting is during the 1920's Prohibition Era, and our favorite girls start off as runners for a mafia bootlegger in Chicago. Having females in the roles isn't historically accurate, but it doesn't really matter. Fate and the other runners/gangsters are written to be in dress shirts with vests and pants, ties, fedoras, and even occasionally dress suits, as was appropriate for the roles and the time period.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters from or the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha anime, nor any other movie, actor, song, or character referenced or stated in this story.

* * *

******Rum-Runner Girls**

by : ~Nissanity~

******Chapter 1 – ****__****The Blind Tiger**

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_~Chicago, June, 1923~_

******Fate POV**

"Hey, Fate! Little help here?"

"Hmmm," I answered Teana distractedly, still staring intently at the cigarette burning away between my fingers.

I heard her groan behind me, and I turned to see her lifting up a wooden crate of full glass bottles from the backseat of our old transport vehicle. She then walked a few steps and placed the crate into the cargo area of the new Lincoln we had just picked up.

"What are you doing over there?" she growled at me with clenched teeth.

"They said they were toasted," I replied, placing the cigarette back in my mouth and walking in her direction.

"What does that even mean? Toasted?" she asked, leaning her arm on the open trunk door as she narrowed her eyes at me.

"These Lucky Strikes. I bought them because the ad said they were toasted. But I can't tell what that the difference is," I said. Teana said nothing in response, only continuing to peer at me for a moment longer.

"There's still four crates left," she then informed me, before turning away and heading towards the old vehicle again.

I walked behind Teana and rounded the back of the car to the other side. I leaned over and hoisted a crate myself from the backseat. "Where are these going?" I asked.

"The Orchard Lounge," Teana replied. "Shamal is supposed to meet us out back so that we can unload these before the club opens at nine."

I looked up at the sky and noticed it was just turning dusk. "We've got plenty of time. Maybe we can get a few games in beforehand?"

"Nope," Teana replied flatly as she placed the last crate in the new car's trunk, and we both did a count on the bottles. "We deliver first, and then you can take everyone's money after."

"Hmph. Alright, then... Hey, this looks a little lighter than usual?" I commented after a second count.

Teana shut the trunk. "The Nakajima's have the other half of the shipment. They are meeting us there," she informed me.

"Damnit! Do my mothers know that?" I asked, making my way to the passenger side door and opening it.

"Probably not," Teana replied as she got in the driver's side and started up the car.

I sat back against the seat and closed my eyes. "I know the Yagami's try to be fair about all this with the families, but you know how my mother gets about splitting jobs," I mentioned.

Teana shook her head. "Well, maybe we'll just let Lindy know, and she can tell Precia about it herself?"

I ran my hand along the stitching on the front bench of the car as we were driving. "This Model L is really nice. I'm never putting the top up on it. It's definitely a lot better than that last piece of junk we drove around," I said.

"Yeah, Shamal wanted more protection for the shipments, so she got us this one with the trunk."

I ran my hand along the door frame next. "You know... Someday I'll be able to afford my own car like this?" I said slyly, glancing over at Teana a few times.

"Fate..." she warned.

"Come on, it's a new batch I've just made!" I pulled out a small flask from my shirt pocket. "Here. Just try it, and give me your honest opinion."

Teana squinted at the road ahead, and then held her hand out to me with her palm up. I placed the flask on it, and she glanced over at me nervously. I raised my eyebrows at her as a gesture to go ahead and to try it.

Teana used her knee to steer as she removed the cap from the flask. She took a deep breath before throwing her head back a little and taking a drink. I watched her swallow it, and then half a second later she turned towards me with a look of disgust and horror on her face.

"That bad, huh?" I asked, biting my lower lip.

Teana coughed, and then threw the flask angrily out of her side of the car, followed by the cap to it. I turned around and watched the two pieces bounce down the street a few times before landing in the gutter.

I laughed as I turned back around in my seat. "I don't know what I'm doing wrong with it, honestly."

Teana wiped her tongue on her shirt sleeve. "How is it getting worse? No one will ever buy that shit, Fate. I'm sorry."

"Maybe I should try something else other than moonshine? Like wine or something...?" I mused.

Teana's face softened a little. "I'm curious, why are you trying so hard with making your own stuff? You have a steady job now running for the Yagami's?" she asked.

I stretched my arms over my head. "There's nothing wrong with wanting more out of life than that, is there?"

Teana shook her head. "Of course not. But most women would plan for a house and kids when they talking about wanting more out of life."

"Hmmm... I guess I'm not most women then," I replied.

Teana smiled and glanced over at me. "Well, you've got that right at least," she said.

We approached The Orchard Lounge from the main street, and Teana backed up into the rear alley near the kitchen entrance. We spotted Shamal, the Yagami's main shipment coordinator, standing near another new Model L that was already parked in the alleyway. Ginga and Subaru were just exiting their vehicle when we arrived.

"Right on time, everyone!" Shamal said cheerfully as we all walked to meet her in the middle.

"Hey, Tea!" Subaru called out cheerfully.

"H-Hey, Subaru," Teana replied in a bashful manner.

I ran to Ginga and gave her a quick hug. "Hey, check these out," I told her quietly afterward, holding out a new set of dice in my palm where only she could see.

She glanced around nervously. "Fate, are those loaded?" she asked in a hushed voice.

"Yeah, yeah! I thought we could try to get the Scaglietti girls with these next time!" I replied excitedly.

"I did not hear what I think I just heard," a voice suddenly warned from behind us. Ginga and I both turned slowly and found Shamal glaring at us a few feet away, with her hands firmly resting on her hips. She then held her hand out to me expectantly.

I placed the dice in it cautiously. "I-It was just going to be in the alleyway? Not at Hayate's place or anything?" I tried weakly.

"No cheating! Anywhere!" she scolded me.

I gave her my best smile as she pocketed the confiscated dice, and she bopped me on the head playfully. "Alright, let's unload the shipment quickly. We need get it in to the cellar before we open."

The four of us runners made quick work of unloading the crates from the cars to the storage area of the kitchen. Shamal would have us hand the crates down to her, as she stood at the top of the stairs of a hidden storage cellar in the floor. She would in turn pass them to a worker stationed at the base of them. His job was to transfer the liquids to various emptied and cleaned food containers for concealment of the illegal alcohol. The riskiest part was always the transfer from the cars to the storage area, but the Yagami's opted to hire women to perform the task, to help curb any suspicion of their activities.

Teana put her hands on her lower back and stretched her hips forward once we were finished. "Ugh, I'm getting too old for this," she grimaced.

I laughed a little. "You're eighteen, Teana."

"I've been working for your mothers since I was ten though. Precia is a slave driver," she joked.

"So what are you girls doing later tonight? Like around midnight?" Shamal asked the four of us as we gathered together outside the back doorway in the alleyway.

I looked at Teana, who was always better at keeping up with our schedule than I was. She shook her head to indicate we had nothing going on. "We're free," I told her.

"Us, too," Ginga added.

"Great! Because Carim has a new singer debuting tonight, and I would love for you guys to come watch her. I don't want her singing to an empty room, after all."

"Carim?" Ginga ventured, and I saw her face blush a little. "Yeah, we'll be there for sure."

Shamal started passing out our cash payments to us for the transport. "Fate, I trust you are ready to lose that to me tonight?" she asked me.

I pocketed the money. "When does the game start?"

"Ten," she replied. "Hayate is coming in for a rematch specifically with you, so you'd better be there."

"Oh, I'll be there alright," I confirmed. "You can count on that."

**oOOOo**

"Straight flush. Read 'em and weep, ladies," I announced, laying the cards on the table in front of me.

Hayate nearly lost the cigar she had been holding steady in her mouth. "Oh, come on!" the head of the Yagami family yelled, smoke billowing around her face.

"That is some bullshit right there!" Vita shouted while pointing to my cards.

Shamal threw her cards on top of the table, and leaned back in her chair as she shook her head at me in disbelief. Teana took off her fedora and hit me on the shoulder with it.

I took her hat from her hand and started raking the winnings from the table into it. "Beginner's luck, I guess," I said.

Hayate took the cigar from her mouth and held it between her fingers as she pointed at me. "You've been using that excuse since you were twelve, Fate," she chastised me.

"Well, yeah! I learned it from you when we were in school together," I responded as I handed Teana her hat back with the money in it. She rolled her eyes and started counting it for me.

Shamal started dealing another hand. "We need to get Fate a better hobby than gambling, Hayate. She's going to make the family go broke at this rate," she teased.

Hayate nodded. "Yep. We need to find her a girlfriend soon," she confirmed.

I held up my hands. "Why jump to that all of a sudden?" I asked. "I don't have time for anything like that."

"What else are you so busy with?" Vita asked me sarcastically as she held up her new hand in front of her.

"Well, this!" I began, gesturing to the poker table. "And runnin'. You know, I've got big plans for my life. Plans that don't involve any distractions like a girl."

"We'll see about that," Hayate said as she made the first bet.

"She probably haven't met the right one yet is all," Shamal added, matching Hayate's bet.

"I bet she's afraid no girl would want her," Vita quipped, raising the pot a little.

"She gets plenty of attention, so that's not the problem," Teana mentioned, folding her hand.

"I feel like you guys aren't listening to me," I countered, doubling Vita's bet.

"We are, but you're wrong," Hayate said as she matched my bet.

"You need someone special in your life, Fate," Shamal continued as she matched Hayate's wager.

"I'm out. I honestly don't care about Fate's love life," Vita scowled.

"Well, I don't either," I responded, and I pushed all my winnings to the center of the table to go all-in.

Hayate and Shamal paused as they stared at the amount of money I just wagered. They both folded their hands at the same time, and I gleefully pulled my new winnings towards me.

"Shit! I thought that tactic would work!" Hayate yelled as she crossed her arms on the table and put her head on them.

"Do we have time for another hand?" I asked hopefully.

I felt a strong hand suddenly grab my shoulder. "Nope," the gruff voice answered. "Carim's new girl is about to go on stage. You are expected out in the club now, Fate and Teana."

"Thank you, Signum!" Hayate said happily. She then turned to glare at me playfully. "This isn't over, Fate."

I stood up from my chair and grabbed my jacket. "It's been a pleasure, ladies," I said as I tipped my hat to the table.

Shamal threw a pretzel at me. "Oh, get the fuck out of here already!" she laughed.

Teana handed me the money I had just won as we walked to the table behind Signum. "Here, that's all of it," she informed me.

I handed her a third of the winnings. "Here, Teana. For gas earlier."

"Fate...?" Teana asked cautiously as looked down at what I gave her. It was about double my share for the tank she had bought earlier.

I ignored her potential refusal of the money, choosing instead to sit down next to Ginga at the table. Teana slid in the booth next to Subaru, who was smiling at her entrance with her typical goofy grin. I glanced over at Ginga and found her seemingly transfixed with the blond lounge singer on the stage. Carim was occasionally glancing down at her and smiling as well. I looked around the room to see that the seats in the club were about half occupied.

"Not a bad turnout for a Tuesday," I leaned over and whispered to Ginga.

She nodded. "Carim got a lot of regulars to come tonight for the new girl. Apparently, she is really good," she told me.

"Thank you all very much!" Carim said loudly after her song finished. The audience yelled and clapped loudly as she waved to them. I fished out a cigarette from the pack in my pocket and I got more comfortable in my seat.

"Thank you all for coming!" she continued. "That was my last set for the night! I'm now proud to announce the debut our new singer, who will be performing a few songs tonight for everyone's entertainment. Please welcome... Miss Nanoha Takamachi!"

I was focusing on making sure my match didn't go out as I attempted to light my cigarette, and I did not see the new lounge singer as she first walked onstage. I heard a collective gasp come from everyone in the room, including the occupants at my own table. I watched from the corner of my eye as all three of them leaned forward in the booth a little.

"What are you - ?" I began as I looked over at them in confusion, before turning my attention to the stage as well. The match I was about to put out with a few wrist flicks stopped mid-air as I caught sight of the new singer on stage.

"Thank you all so much for having me here tonight!" the sapphire-eyed brunette in a form-fitting red cocktail dress said to the crowd. "Nyahaha, I hope I do okay!" she added with a giggle.

"Oh my god, she is beautiful!" Ginga said in hushed voice, as the piano player began to play the notes to her first song.

The flame I had not been paying attention to suddenly reached my fingertips, and I dropped the match on the floor in surprise at the unexpected pain. "Ow!" I cried.

Nanoha glanced over to me at my sudden outburst. I thought I saw her smile falter a little when she noticed me, and I waved a little in apology for my interruption. She returned her attention to the crowd as her vocals began to fill the room, and I don't think anyone in the club took their eyes off of her once during her performance.

Occasionally Nanoha would look over at me as she sang, and her face seemed to show a bit of nervousness each time. I tried to remain perfectly still, so as to not cause her any more stress inadvertently through her song. At the end of her first song I joined the rest of the patrons in applause, and she smiled her bright smile and began singing her next ballad.

I sensed someone approach the booth behind us halfway through, and Ginga and I turned our heads to see Signum crouch down to speak to us.

"Shamal has another job for you guys," she said softly. "Go see her in the kitchen after this."

Ginga and I both nodded in confirmation and Signum left. We returned our eyes to Nanoha's performance again, and I noticed she had been watching our interaction with Signum as she sang. At the conclusion of her second song, Ginga and I stood up from the table, and we beckoned Teana and Subaru to follow us. We were leaving the lounge area as Nanoha was giving her farewells on stage.

"So what did you guys think of the new girl, hmm?" Shamal asked as we made our way into the kitchen.

"She very talented," I confirmed.

"And gorgeous!" Ginga added.

"You've said that twice already," I mentioned.

Ginga shrugged. "Well, it's true. I'm almost jealous of her."

"So, what's the new job, Shamal?" Teana asked, changing the subject.

Shamal gestured to four large empty glass bottles on the floor near the front of the kitchen. "We have a shipment coming through Indianapolis tonight. We need you guys to take these empties and trade them for the full ones that are coming. You are going to meet up with the other group in Lafayette sometime in the morning."

"A long night ahead of us, huh?" Subaru mentioned to Ginga. I myself was counting how many hours it would take to get to Lafayette and back, when I noticed Carim and Nanoha walking down the hallway past the kitchen door.

Shamal held a few bills of money in front of my eyes. "Hey, Fate! Can't have you distracted here. This is for travel costs," she informed me. "Although after tonight's game, I doubt you'll need it anyway."

I pocketed the money and picked up one of the glass bottles. "Still thinking about the money you lost, eh?" I mocked.

"Hurry up and get back here so we can have another rematch," Shamal countered as I walked away.

"Man, her and Hayate just don't learn, do they?" Teana laughed as we walked down the hallway.

"It works for me," I replied, as I pushed open the backdoor to the alleyway.

I looked to my right and noticed Carim and Nanoha, still in their cocktail dresses, smoking together outside of the doorway. I tipped my hat to them as I walked past, before making my way to our car with the heavy bottle on my shoulder.

"Hey, Carim!" I heard Ginga say shortly after Teana and I exited. "Let me put this down and then I'll come say hi."

Teana rubbed her shoulder after we placed the empty bottles in the trunk. "At least we only had to carry one each," she mentioned.

"You're going to end up older than me at this rate," I said of her ailments as I shut the trunk.

"Hey, Teana! Fate! Come here!" Ginga yelled from across the alley, signaling with a wave of her hand over her head.

Teana and I walked back towards the doorway. "We'd better get going pretty soon," Teana warned me.

"I agree. Let's just meet the new girl and then we can get out of here," I responded.

"Hey, you guys know Carim of course," Ginga announced as we approached. "Nanoha, this is Teana... And Fate." She pointed to each of us respectively.

"Good to meet you, Teana," she said. She turned to me and gave me a genuine smile. "Fate."

"It's nice to meet you, Nanoha," I replied politely.

"So, you're Hayate's runners, then?" she asked.

I paused for a moment. "Well, for now at least," I replied. Nanoha gave me a curious look at my statement.

"We really should be going soon, honestly," Teana reminded everyone.

Nanoha looked interested. "You all are going somewhere?" she asked.

I smiled. "We have to pick up a shipment in Lafayette in the morning. We have to leave now to make it in time."

"Oh, I want to go!" Carim exclaimed. "Pretty please?" she asked Ginga as she clasped her hands in front of her.

Ginga beamed. "Yeah, of course! There's plenty of room in the new car now."

"What about you, Nanoha?" Carim asked.

I saw Nanoha glance over at me, and I immediately turned my head downwards in fake disinterest as I kicked my toe at a break in the concrete. I knew there wouldn't be a point to bringing an extra person on the trip, but I also wasn't going to tell her no if she accepted the offer.

"Um... no, I don't think so," she replied after a moment. "I probably should get home to my family."

I glanced up to her hand at the mention of the words 'my family', and noticed she had a wedding band on her ring finger. I laughed a little to myself and shook my head for not having seen it sooner. A mixture of emotions then washed over me as it sunk in that she was indeed married, but I couldn't pinpoint exactly why it would bother me so much.

"_You would think I would be happy for her, right?_" I questioned myself.

"Are you coming tomorrow night?" Nanoha asked, breaking me away from my thoughts. I looked up and noticed she was speaking directly to me.

"Huh? Oh. It depends on work, I guess," I replied distractedly before I looked away again.

"Signum said I could do a full set tomorrow night. So, yeah..." she added.

I merely nodded my head in response, now unable to meet her eyes at all anymore.

"Well then," Carim suddenly said to break the tension. "I'm going to get changed really quick and grab my purse. Are you coming, Nanoha?"

"Yes," Nanoha confirmed, and I was finally able to look up at her again. I noted she had a confused expression as she studied me a little longer, before she turned around and followed Carim back into the club.

I sighed and started walking away as well, with Teana silently following behind me. "Let's just wait in the car until it's time to go. I'm driving," I said.

**oOOOo**

**Nanoha POV**

I sat down in frustration at the dressing room table after coming inside from the alleyway. I quickly started taking off my jewelry and throwing it loudly onto the counter.

"Is everything alright, Nanoha?" Carim asked cautiously.

"Did I say something wrong to your friend out there?" I asked heatedly, crossing my arms over my chest.

Carim scratched her cheek and smiled a little. "Yeah, I actually don't know what that was all about. You should still come with us, Nanoha. It would be fun!"

I laughed bitterly. "I'm pretty sure that Fate girl is not interested in having me around. You should go for sure though. Ginga seems really nice."

Carim merely nodded as she removed her performance dress, revealing her slip underneath. She slid a white sundress on over her head, and then grabbed her purse and quickly started going through the contents.

I glanced down at the fake diamond ring still on my ring finger. "Are you sure I have to wear this?" I asked, before pulling it off and setting it on the table as well.

"It's a good idea. You can flash it if you are getting hit on by a guy you aren't interested in," Carim replied. "It also signals Signum to pay closer attention to you if you feel unsafe at any point."

I nodded. "That makes sense, I guess." I began to remove my cocktail dress as well, and I put my curled hair up in it's usual side ponytail afterward.

"Fate usually isn't distant with people like that, by the way," Carim added.

"Well, what is she usually like? When she isn't being rude to people, that is?" I stepped into my sundress dress and put it on as well.

Carim laughed. "Maybe you'll just have to get her attention the same way you got an audition with me?" she mentioned as she helped me button my dress up in the back.

I turned and stared at Carim thoughtfully at her suggestion, and she waited patiently for my response. I then nodded my head and grabbed my purse.

"You know what? You're right. I just hope I don't regret this," I said as I gestured towards the door, and Carim led the way cheerfully. I followed her out of dressing room, and we eventually made our way through the club and out into the alleyway again. I took a deep breath as Carim and I parted ways outside, and I began walking to the car that Teana and Fate were waiting in.

Teana glanced over her shoulder in the passenger seat when she heard me approach, and she immediately hopped into the backseat from the front. She continued to stare at me in shock the closer I got to the car.

"Teana, what are you - ?" Fate began, before noticing me approach as well. I silently let myself into the passenger side and shut the door loudly behind me. I turned to Fate and stared at her, and she peered back at me intently. Her expression was a mixture of confusion and amusement, and I raised my eyebrows expectantly at her in response.

Fate finally smiled a little and started the car. "Alright. But you're driving some of the way then, Nanoha," she informed me.

"Not a problem... Fate-chan."

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**A/N:** Hope to see you guys next time! ~Nissanity~


	2. Chapter 2 - The Real McCoy

**A/N: **Welcome back, everyone! To **SapphoSensei**, you are absolutely correct. I do like to write about female gangsters (and badass girls in general). To **Natal14**, I won't be mentioning them smoking unless it's important to the plot or story, but **EnnoiaM** was correct about their smoking habits. Basically, the reader can assume they are all probably smoking a good portion of the time, even if it's not said so out loud. And to all the new followers and reviews, I thank you as always!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters from or the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha anime, nor any other movie, actor, song, brand, or character referenced or stated in this story.

* * *

******Rum-Runner Girls**

by : ~Nissanity~

******Chapter 2 – ****__****The Real McCoy**

* * *

******Nanoha POV**

"Is she asleep yet?"

I turned around to look at Teana, who was laying across the backseat with her hat covering her face. "Looks like it. That didn't take long."

Fate nodded. "And she really does sleep like a rock once she's out."

I rubbed my hands together quickly and blew on them, and then placed them between my thighs and the seat to keep them warm. "It's a nice night, but it's a little cool," I mentioned.

Fate wordlessly leaned forward to start removing her suit jacket, alternating between using her knees and free hand to drive as she pulled her arms through the sleeves. "Sorry, I didn't think to put the top up before we left. So where are you from originally?" she asked.

"New York," I replied. "You would think I would be used to cool nights by now, being from there."

Fate handed her jacket to me, which I accepted it without protest. I was feeling cold with the breeze at that point, and I already knew she wouldn't let me reject her offer even if I made an attempt to. Her jacket was warm and comfortable as I put it on, although the sleeves did hang down over my hands due to our height difference. I bent over as discretely as I could to smell the lapel of the jacket, and noted that Fate's scent seemed to be bar soap mixed with a hint of vanilla.

I saw movement from the corner of my eye, and I observed Fate quickly tapping her thumb on top of the steering wheel. "So, what happened to getting home to the family?" she asked me, her tone sounded a bit different than before.

I chuckled a little and stared at my lap. "Oh. T-That, um... that was kind of a lie," I replied.

"Hmm?" Fate glanced over to me a few times in confusion.

"Well, not unless you count my two cats waiting for me at home, that is," I added. "I just couldn't think of any other excuse at the moment."

Fate shifted a little in her seat, now staring straight ahead at the road. "I thought you were married?"

"Married? Why - ?" I began in confusion, before I suddenly remembered the fake wedding band I had on during my performance that night. Fate was still staring straight ahead at the road, and her expression was one I couldn't decipher.

"And what if I was?" I challenged.

"_Well, it's your funeral..._" I thought I heard her mutter under her breath.

I smiled and leaned in closer to her across the seat. "What was that, Fate-chan?"

"I was just giving you my condolences," she replied, although she was trying to mask a grin of her own.

I leaned back against the seat again. "Something against marriage, I take it?"

She shrugged casually. "Not for everyone else if they want to do it, I guess. It's just not for me."

"Well, we have something common then. It's not for me, either."

Fate glanced over to me again in confusion, and I held up my left hand in between her and I. "I'm not married," I informed her as I pointed to my ring finger.

"Oh," she simply replied, refocusing her attention on driving again. I waited a moment as she seemed to let that information sink in.

"I was engaged once though," I added.

She sunk down a little in the seat. "Oh..."

I stretched my arms over my head and stifled a yawn. "Yep, my parents engaged me to a boy from another family in the area. It was supposed to 'strengthen our families' bonds,' as my father put it. So... I ran away the first chance I got."

I saw Fate begin to smile finally. "Is that why you're in Chicago now?"

"Well, it's a long story," I replied as I waved my hand dismissively. I then wrapped her jacket around my body tighter. "Maybe one for another time. All that matters is that I'm happy to be here now, and to be making my own way."

"Why did you say you didn't want to come on the trip with us at first, by the way?" she then asked.

I leaned my head against the seat and closed my eyes. "I thought you didn't like me," I told her.

"That's definitely not the case, Nanoha," I heard her say softly.

I nodded a little and allowed myself to yawn this time. "I think I understand that now."

"Hmm. Well, get some rest. I'll wake you when we stop again."

"Okay, Fate-chan. Good night," I mumbled before allowing the vibrations of the car and Fate's comforting scent on her jacket to lull me into sleep.

**oOOOo**

**Fate POV**

I glanced over at Nanoha's sleeping form in the passenger seat, making sure she wasn't in an awkward position. She had been asleep for a few hours, shifting occasionally in the seat with my jacket tucked tightly around her. It was just about daybreak, and we were still a few hours away from Lafayette. Ginga and I had made considerable progress, averaging about 25 miles per hour for most of the trip. There were a few times we had to cut our speed considerably to avoid wildlife and other obstacles in the road though.

"Where are we?" I heard Teana ask, as she slowly sat up in the backseat and rubbed her eyes.

"Well, nowhere Teana. Can't you tell?" I replied sarcastically, and gestured to the empty landscape around us.

Teana patted me on the shoulder. "Alright, it's your turn to rest. You start getting bitchy when you haven't slept. I'll drive."

I signaled to Ginga with my arm out to the side that we were pulling over, and both cars stopped on the shoulder of the road as far as we could without entering the brush. Teana jumped out of the backseat over the side of the car, and I climbed over the front bench and laid down in the back. Nanoha stirred a little bit from her spot, and Teana told her she could continue sleeping. Nanoha nodded and curled up again against the door and nodded off.

I placed my hat over my head to block the sun, and we were barely driving again on the road before I fell into a deep sleep myself. I was occasionally jarred half-awake when we would hit a pothole or have to slow our speed for something, but for the most part I slept soundly for the rest of this leg of the journey. It wasn't until the car had stopped completely at our destination did I hear Nanoha's voice call out from above me.

"Fate-chan?" she said softly, and I felt her shake my shoulder a little.

"Hmmm?" I groaned sleepily.

"Fate-chan, we're here. You have to get up," she continued. I only caught about half of what she said next, as I was already starting to fall back asleep again.

"FATE!" I suddenly heard Ginga scream behind me, as well as someone rocking the car violently.

"What the - ?" I shouted in a panic and sat straight up, running my forehead directly into Nanoha's as she was perched over me from the front seat.

I immediately grabbed my head in pain, and I opened one eye to see Nanoha doing the same. I then turned to look to the rear of the car and observed Ginga and Subaru standing on the bumper, having just jumped up and down on it in their attempts to wake me. Ginga's eyes were wide in shock as looked down at our pained expressions, although she was also trying to suppress a smile as well.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch!" Nanoha moaned, her eyes still squeezed shut.

I frowned as I rubbed my forehead with my palm. "Sorry, Nanoha..." Nanoha open her eyes and pretended to glare at me in return for a moment, and then we both broke out in laughter.

"Teana's waking you up next time," she teased, rubbing her own forehead one last time.

I looked around, and noticed we were parked in an empty lot behind an abandoned factory on the western outskirts of Lafayette. It was the predesignated spot for this type of exchange, and I considered ourselves lucky when the two cars we were supposed to meet up with arrived not ten minutes after we did.

I jumped out of the backseat quickly and put my hat on, and their cars pulled up backwards behind ours. Two large men got out silently from each of the vehicles, and Ginga and I immediately opened the trunks to our cars. They retrieved the empty glass bottles from our trunk, and they turned and transferred the full glass bottles in a team from their trunks to ours. I handed one of them the 'travel expenses' that Shamal had given to me earlier when they were finished. He pocketed it, nodded to me once, and the four of them reentered their vehicles and drove away.

"Well, that was efficient, I suppose," Carim commented as Ginga and I shut the trunks, and I noted a hint of disappointment in her voice. "I was expecting more fanfare than that."

"That's a good way to get caught," I replied. "The Yagami's have been working with them for a couple years now, so it's like a science almost. The less time these have a chance to be seen by anyone, the better."

"I'm getting a little hungry, Fate-chan," Nanoha suddenly said from beside me.

I looked over at Teana. "There was a diner on the way out of town I saw coming in that we can stop at? The Sunrise Diner, I think," she replied.

"Hey, if it's alright we'll meet you guys there in a few minutes?" Ginga requested. "I promised Carim I would show her how to drive, and this lot is perfect for it."

I laughed. "Don't wreck that car, Ginga. Shamal would murder you."

Nanoha looked excitedly at me. "I guess that makes it my turn to drive then as well?" She held out her hand to Teana for the keys.

"Are you sure, Nanoha? When I said that earlier..." I began.

"Nope! A deal is a deal, Fate-chan," she informed me firmly. I smiled as I nodded to Teana, who in turn gave the keys to Nanoha.

We left Ginga and Subaru to teach Carim some pointers on driving in the lot, and were soon on the main street of Lafayette heading back out of town. I saw Nanoha glance in the side view mirrors a few times as we drove. She looked a little more alarmed when we turned a corner at the edge of town, and she continued to look in the mirrors nervously.

"Are we being followed?" I asked her, not wanting to turn around and cause more suspicion for us.

"Yep," she replied. "A police wagon."

"What does he want?" Teana asked, glancing a little nervously behind her.

I drummed my fingers on the side of the door and continued facing forward. "I'm sure it's nothing."

The siren to the police car suddenly rang out behind us, and Teana and I both jumped at the loud sound and turned around. A hefty police officer was cranking the siren with his right hand as he drove with his left, his animated red face staring angrily at us. He then gestured for us to pull over between cranks of the siren, nearly falling out of the wagon in the process.

"Did you catch that?" I asked Nanoha, trying not to laugh.

"Yeah, I got it," she replied as she smiled a little and pulled the car over. "Hopefully he's not too bright and won't suspect anything."

Once our vehicle was stopped, I watched the police officer begin to maneuver his large frame out from behind the steering wheel slowly, taking care to turn his legs completely before exiting the tall wagon. He stumbled a little bit as his feet hit the ground, but quickly stood back up and replaced his hat that had fallen over his eyes. He then readjusted his belt a few times and began walking our direction.

"That was almost painful to watch," Teana commented.

The officer was glaring at me directly as he approached, and then turned his attention to Teana in the backseat as he neared our car. He grabbed the hat off her head and threw it in her lap angrily. He finally stopped at the driver side, and his demeanor seemed to soften a little when he saw Nanoha.

"What seems to be the problem, Officer... Douglas?" she asked him innocently as she read his name plate.

He leaned his arm on the windshield of the car and peered down at us. "I saw them Illinois plates you got there. Seems we been getting a lot of visitors down here from Chicago lately."

Nanoha gave a remorseful shake of her head as she pouted her face at him. "Well yes, we were just visiting my sick grandmother in Indianapolis, actually. Galactorrhea. It's very tragic."

"Pffftt!" Teana suddenly burst out in laughter at Nanoha's medical excuse, and immediately clamped her hand over her mouth. I turned around to stare at her in disbelief.

"Uh-huh," the officer replied, now completely unamused. "You see, the problem is... Your trunk is looking a little weighed down. And you three just happen to be on a popular bootleggin' route."

"Bootlegging...?" we all asked as we looked around at each other in feigned innocence. "What's that? Never heard of it..."

The officer pulled himself away from our vehicle. "Alright, Missy. Turn off the car and step outside. I'm going to need you to open up the trunk."

Nanoha's hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, and I saw turn and stare down at the steering wheel for a moment. She then glanced over me and gave me a wink, before quickly shifting the car into first gear. She revved the engine and spun the tires for a few seconds, spitting gravel and dust all around, before screeching away from the officer.

"Holy shit!" I shouted as my head flew back against the seat. I quickly turned around and watched the officer angrily take off his hat to try to clear the dust cloud around his face as he coughed.

"Good thing he's out of shape. Although, he may have been drunk as well," Teana added, and we both simultaneously grimaced as we watched him fall face first against the pavement during his attempt to run back to the police wagon.

"Sorry guys. I couldn't get caught again," Nanoha stated as she shifted into third gear. She then spotted a rural road to the right and quickly turned down it.

I turned to face her. "Again?" I asked as the car began to bounce around down the rough road.

"I _may_ have broken probation by leaving New York like I did," she continued loudly over the car noise. I spotted an empty barn up ahead to our right and wordlessly pointed to it. Nanoha nodded that she has seen it too.

"If you were on probation, then...?" I guessed, now holding onto my hat as Nanoha sped up and we hit the bumps in the road harder.

She turned the car hard to left in front of the barn, and then shifted into reverse. "It's been two weeks since I got out of Sing Sing."

"Sing Sing?!" Teana and I both exclaimed.

We backed into the barn, and the car was mostly obscured by the shadows inside. The three of us ducked down in the seats, and I suddenly found my face very close to Nanoha's as I took my position against the floorboard. She looked a little surprised at how close we ended up being as well.

"What were you in for?" I asked her quietly.

Nanoha smiled a little. "A little bit of everything," she replied with a shrug.

"What is galactorrhea any- ?" I began to ask, but Nanoha suddenly put her index finger to my lips lightly and shook her head to stop me. I heard the sound of a car coming down the road a second later, and I glanced up in the direction of the noise. I looked back down at her, and she slowly removed her finger from over my lips as we both stared at each other in anticipation. We waited in silence to see if the car would pass us by or not.

Her eyes started to seem a bit more panicked as the car drew closer, so I brought my hand to rest on the side of her head to reassure her. She seemed to be comforted by the gesture, silently nodding and relaxing a little into my hand. Much to our relief, we heard the car pass by the barn we were in without stopping. After a minute, I heard Teana shift in the backseat. She slinked out of the car and approached the opening of the barn and peaked cautiously outside.

"Okay, he's gone," Teana informed us.

The breath I didn't realize I had been holding was finally released from my lungs, and Nanoha collapsed against the seat in relief as well. I saw Teana lean over the side of the car and reach under the front bench seat. She dug around for a minute, and then pulled out one of the fake license plates we had stored under it. She headed for the back of the vehicle to work on replacing it, as Nanoha returned to sit normally in the front seat.

"Sorry for all that," Nanoha said quietly as she sunk her head.

"Hey, come on. What are friends for, right?" I asked her, putting my hand on her shoulder. "Besides, we _all_ would have been up shit creek if you hadn't have saved us back there."

Nanoha looked up at me quickly, her eyes dancing a little in excitement. "So, we're friends then, Fate-chan?"

"Well, yeah! You're definitely one of us now," I informed her happily, pushing her shoulder playfully.

Nanoha threw her arms around my neck, and I hugged her tightly in return. "Oh, thank god!" she exclaimed. "I thought you might not want me around after what I told you."

I laughed. "Are you kidding? You should see Vita's track record, by the way. She basically has her own cell down at the station."

"All done!" Teana announced as she ran over to the side of the car and jumped back into the backseat.

Nanoha pulled away from me and quickly wiped a few tears from her eyes, and then turned to start the engine of the car again. We checked one more time for any signs of the police wagon before pulling out of the barn completely, and made our way back to the main road we had been on beforehand.

"Where's the diner?" Nanoha asked over her shoulder.

"Up ahead," Teana responded, pointing out the front windshield between Nanoha and me. I spotted the sign for the Sunrise Diner a few seconds later to my right. I noticed that Ginga's car had made it there first, and that they were most likely already inside.

"I'm going to tell them what happened, and that we may want to get out of town as fast as possible," I told Nanoha and Teana as we parked. I jumped out of the vehicle and ran up to the diner, throwing the door open.

"Fate! Man, where were you guys?" Ginga asked as I approached the table.

I pulled my hat off my head and held it along my face to muffle my voice to the other customers. "We had trouble with the law. We need to get out of Lafayette."

Subaru was first out of the booth, fishing some money from her pocket to leave on the table.

"Trouble? Is Nanoha okay?" Carim asked, now trying to look out the window to the parking lot.

"Yes. She actually saved our asses out there, honestly," I replied.

Carim stood up from the table. "That sounds about right," she said. Ginga quickly scooted out of the booth from beside her.

The four of us made our way out of the diner and back into the parking lot. I spotted Teana and Nanoha standing outside of vehicle, frowning at the back end of it. It took me a few seconds to notice the flat tire on the rear side.

I shook my head. "Well, that's not good," I stated flatly.

"It gets worse," Teana said. "The one on the other side is flat also."

I looked at the tires attached to the long siderunners on the car. "Well, at least this car has a million spares on it. It's going to be tricky to jack it up with all the extra weight in the trunk though." I looked down at my watch, noting it was now eleven in the afternoon.

"So what's the plan, Fate?" Ginga asked.

"You're going to take the girls back to Chicago so that they aren't late for their show tonight. Teana and I will handle this."

"Fate-chan...?" Nanoha's eyes looked reluctant at my statement.

I put my hand on her shoulder. "You can't miss your first full set, Nanoha. Teana and I will be fine, trust me."

Nanoha looked away to the side, seemingly torn by the situation. I opted to give her a hug instead to reassure her. "I will even be back in time to see your set tonight, okay?" I told her.

"You promise?" she asked into my shoulder.

I pulled her away and held her by the shoulders to look her directly in the eye. "I promise."

Ginga and Subaru helped Teana and I push our car behind the diner into the rear lot, to give us some cover in case the officer from earlier happened to drive by. They then jumped into the car with Nanoha and Carim riding in the backseat. Nanoha waved a little at us as they drove away, and I tipped my hat to her in return.

"Well, that was certainly an ambitious promise you just made there, Fate," Teana noted as their car turned the corner and was gone from our sight.

"I guess we better get to work then, so that I can keep it." I turned around to walk to the car. "Got any idea where the jack is?"

"I imagine in the trunk, somewhere under two very heavy glass bottles full of moonshine," Teana replied ominously.

I grimaced as I started rolling up my sleeves. "Well, I guess there's only one way to find out."

**oOOOo**

"What time is it?!" I asked Teana as we backed into the alleyway of The Orchid Lounge. My watch had been broken during our ordeal in changing the tires, and I had been too focused on driving anyway to keep track of the time.

"Two minutes until midnight," she replied as we jumped out of the car. "Christ, I am covered in grease, Fate!"

"Me too. But we don't have time to clean up," I told her as I pulled the backdoor to the club open. Teana and I ran down the hallway past the kitchen.

"Hey Shamal!" we both said as we passed by her in the hallway.

"What the hell?" she replied as she pressed herself against the wall to avoid us.

"The shipment is in the trunk. We'll move it later!" I informed her over my shoulder.

Teana broke away from me at the end of the hallway. "I'll go find Ginga and Subaru out in the club. I can hear Carim still singing onstage."

"Perfect. I'm headed to the back."

As I approached the dressing room, I slowed my pace so that I could approach it quietly. I noticed the door was slightly ajar, and I was able to peek inside. I saw Nanoha in a black cocktail dress through one of the mirrors on the wall, and her chin cupped in her hand as she leaned her elbow against the table. She looked worried and a bit upset as she stared down at the floor.

I opened the door to the dressing room and leaned in the doorway. "So, did I make it in time?" I asked her.

Nanoha's face immediately lit up when she saw me, and she stood up quickly from her chair. I walked a few feet inside and she ran across the room towards me. She flung her arms around me excitedly when she reached me, and I wrapped my arms around her waist and picked her up off the ground a few feet as I held her close.

"Shit, you had me so worried!" she yelled as I put her down and she pulled away. She slapped me on the shoulder playfully, although she was smiling wildly and bouncing around a little.

"Yeah, we had to get pretty creative there. So, Teana thought - " I started, but before I could go on I heard heels clicking on the floor from the hallway behind me. Carim appeared in the doorway of the dressing room shortly after.

"You're up, Nanoha! I'm glad to see your back, Fate. I saw Teana come in right as I was finishing up my set," she said.

"Yeah, I better get out there," I replied to her. I then turned back to Nanoha. "Break a leg, okay?"

Nanoha nodded, and I turned to walk away from her. She suddenly grabbed me by the hand to stop me, and she took me by surprise by leaning up and giving me a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for today, Fate-chan," she said to me.

"A-Anytime, Nanoha," I stammered before I walked out the doorway. I made my way out to the club and found Ginga, Subaru, and Teana at our usual table. They were all grinning at me foolishly as I sat down.

"What?" I asked them.

"Looks like someone's resolve is breaking with a certain brunette," Teana said jokingly.

"Huh? I don't know what you're talking about. We're just friends," I replied.

Ginga screwed her finger into my the cheek playfully. "Just friends, huh?" She then took a napkin and wet it with some water from a glass on the table. She ran it over my cheek a little and showed me some of Nanoha's lipstick that had been transferred to it. I yanked the napkin from her hand and began rubbing it off completely.

"Don't be reading too much into this, guys," I warned them.

Nanoha walked on stage, and I quickly put the napkin down on the table. I took a look around at the club, and I noticed that there wasn't an empty seat in the place tonight.

"I guess word travels fast nowadays?" I mentioned.

"Well, someone like Nanoha doesn't come along all that often, you know?" Ginga replied.

I looked up at Nanoha, whose eyes and smile trailed along the crowd slowly as she greeted the audience cheerfully. She eventually saw me, and she winked down in my direction. I smiled back at her, and before long the orchestra was playing her first song. Her performance once again awed and entertained the audience completely.

I looked back at Ginga. "Yeah... I guess you're right about that."

* * *

**A/N:** An update to Practice Makes Perfect is up next. See you next time! ~Nissanity~


	3. Chapter 3 - The Cat's Meow

**A/N: **The best part about writing this story is all the research I get to do as I write the chapters, since I want to add in details that were accurate to the 1920's (and to avoid inaccuracies when possible). The Prohibition Era is such a fascinating period in American history to me, especially the jazz/speakeasy scene. The funniest thing is that I just realized this chapter that I've been writing "Fate-chan" when Nanoha refers to her, even though the setting is in Chicago. But I can't have Nanoha call her just 'Fate' - - It just doesn't sound right to me.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters from or the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha anime, nor any other movie, actor, brand, song, or character referenced or stated in this story.

* * *

******Rum-Runner Girls**

by : ~Nissanity~

******Chapter 3 – ****__****The Cat's Meow**

* * *

******Fate POV **

"Hey guys, listen to this," Hayate requested as she turned on the radio in the backroom of The Orchid Lounge.

"_...they want your sweet, innocent girls to take to booze so they can be enticed into honky-tonks by slick-haired vultures, who prey on the flower of American womanhood..." _the voice shouted across the airwaves.

"We prey on the what of the _what_?" Shamal yelled loudly at the radio from the poker table.

"They've been replaying this shit all day," Hayate said as she turned off the radio and came to sit back down at her spot. "I guess the Anti-Saloon League is still pushing their message pretty hard this afternoon."

"It is Sunday, after all," I mentioned, beginning to deal a new hand to everyone. "It's nothing but religious talk on the radio all day."

"Well, thank God it's Sunday!" Shamal said as she leaned back in her chair and brought her cards up to look at them. "I had to barback last night just to keep up with the crowd's orders. I'm exhausted."

"We haven't stopped running for three days straight either," Teana mentioned. "Not that that's a bad thing, of course."

I turned my attention to the faint music coming from the club area in the other room, and realized a jazz song I did not recognize was currently playing. "So what are the girls doing now, since the club is closed today?"

Hayate placed her bet for the next round to start. "Nanoha and Carim have decided to do a partner act, and they are rehearsing as much as they can. Before they were doing slower lounge songs, but they are going to switch to a flapper act from now on."

"They are actually not that terrible," Vita commented. The entire table ceased all movement in realization that Vita had given their new performance her own odd stamp of approval.

"Well, they must be fucking fantastic then," Teana responded as she placed her bet.

"Just remember you girls still have work to do tonight too," Shamal reminded us. "As soon as Ginga and Subaru get here, you have to make a run at the docks."

"Are my mothers going to be there?" I asked. My mother Lindy was the shipment coordinator for the product that came in through the docks off Lake Michigan, which included other goods besides just bootlegged alcohol. My other mother Precia ran the the warehouse there at the docks with Lindy. The higher end product we ran usually came in by boat, and it was mostly Irish and Canadian whiskey.

"No, Lindy called me earlier to confirm that the shipment had already arrived at the docks. It's now secured in the vault there. You guys just have to go and get it," Shamal replied.

"Simple enough," I replied as I laid my hand, a full house, on the table. "Oh, and speaking of simple..." I added.

An eruption of expletives came from all across the table. "You weren't even paying attention that hand, Fate!" Hayate protested and slammed her cards on the table.

"And neither were you," I replied cheekily and gathered the money into my hat. Teana offered to count it for me, and I passed my hat to her. I then heard the music shut off in the club outside the door a moment later.

"Will you all excuse me for a moment?" I requested as I stood up from the table and pushed in my chair.

"Where are you going? We're still playing here?" Vita scowled.

I shrugged. "I'm just going to go say hi really quick," I replied as I left the room.

I heard Hayate snicker. "Well, that's never happened before," I heard her say before the door closed behind me. I made my way through the front office, which served as a pass-through between the backroom and the club. I walked across the rear of the lounge area, and observed Nanoha and Carim having a discussion center stage. They both had their hair cut short now and were wearing cloche hats. There was a phonograph next to them they were using to rehearse with, and I noticed it was replaying the song I had not been familiar with earlier.

"I've never heard that song before," I mentioned as I was about halfway across the room.

"Fate-chan!" Nanoha exclaimed, and she quickly made her way to the edge of the stage and jumped down. She ran to me to give me a hug, and Carim waved hello to me before exiting backstage.

"I haven't seen you in days!" Nanoha continued excitedly as she pulled away from our embrace. She held her hands on my shoulders as she looked up at me.

"Yeah, I've been busy on runs for the past few days. It seems some new singer has been selling out at the club every night," I teased her.

Nanoha cocked her head to the side. "I have no idea what you are talking about, Fate-chan?" she replied innocently, before allowing a smile to sneak onto her lips.

"I like your hair by the way. It looks really good on you," I mentioned.

"Yeah, we both had to cut our hair for the new act. It feels weird, but I'm sure I'll get used to it," she responded as she touched one of her short locks. She then placed her hands on her lower back and bounced a little in place. "We have something brand new we are doing. The act starts out with something called 'The Charleston'. Carim has been teaching me how to do the dance to it."

"I'll have to come see it as soon as I can, for sure," I replied. "Well, whenever I'm free again and you guys are performing, that is."

"So, what are you doing here now?"

I gestured to the office area where I had just come from. "We just have to make a quick run at the docks. Some product is coming in by boat."

Nanoha's face brightened a little. "Well, are you busy after the run then?" she asked.

I shook my head. "No, I actually have the rest of the night off after this."

Carim came back onto the stage. "Hey, Nanoha? Are you ready to rehearse some more?" she called out to her.

"Be right there!" she replied before she looked back at me. "Fate-chan, why don't we talk more when you get back to the club? We'll be rehearsing a few more hours, so I should still be here."

I smiled. "Yeah, that sounds - " I began.

"Nanoha?" Carim requested again from the stage. Nanoha smiled apologetically and started walking backwards towards the stage.

"Look, I'll be back soon, okay?" I assured her.

"Okay, Fate-chan!" she replied. "See you soon!"

I headed back towards the office, turning around once more to see Nanoha and Carim getting into their positions for rehearsal again. Nanoha waved to me quickly and smiled, and I returned the gesture. I reached for the handle of the office door as I approached it, but Shamal exited before I could grab it. She jerked away in surprise at seeing me suddenly standing in front of her.

"Oh god, you scared me! Hey Fate, Ginga and Subaru are here. You guys can get going," she informed me.

I nodded and walked down the hallway towards the alleyway, and Teana met me outside the door and handed me my hat. She attempted to give me the money I had just won in the last hand I played, but I waved it off. "Use it towards gas," I told her. I quickly jumped into the passenger side after waving hello to Ginga and Subaru, who were standing next to their car down the alleyway.

Teana started up the car and we began the journey to the docks. "Is something wrong, Fate?" she asked me after a moment.

"Huh? No, I'm just in a hurry to get this over with," I replied.

"O-Okay?" Teana stammered. "It's not like we have anything else going on after this?"

"I might."

Teana glanced over at me a few times, and then tried not to grin. "You never make plans that aren't work related, Fate?"

"Who said it wasn't work related?" I countered.

"Yeah, okay..." Teana replied as she shifted gears. I opted to ride in silence during the short trip to the docks, not wanting to get into a discussion with my partner about my interaction with Nanoha just now. I was still getting teased incessantly by her and the Nakajima's over the lipstick mark Nanoha had left on my cheek three days prior. The last I was going to do was give them more ammunition to poke fun at me with.

Teana pulled the car in front of the bay door at the warehouse at the docks, with Ginga and Subaru close behind us. I checked area to make sure no one was around, and was thankful it was a Sunday afternoon and the area was mostly abandoned at the time. I unlocked the padlock that secured the building, and Teana helped me slide the heavy wooden door open to give us access inside. We all entered inside and shut it behind us again.

"Ugh, it always smells like dead fish in here," Ginga complained as we walked in.

The vault was to the rear of the building, and it was always hidden from view completely by wooden crates stacked up in front of it. The four of us had to move them out of the way before we could gain access to it, which caused us all to break into a sweat as we performed the task.

"Whew, I'm already getting tired," Teana commented half-way through.

"Yeah, me too," I admitted. "Dock runs are the worst. Let's just get this over with as soon as possible so we can get back."

Teana gave me a knowing smile, and I just rolled my eyes at her in return as we moved the last crate out of the way. I was finally able to access the dial to enter the combination, and we quickly pulled open the large vault door to discover four crates full of Canadian Club whiskey inside.

"I hope those fit in the car trunks," Subaru mentioned.

"It's going to be cutting it close, that's for sure," Teana replied.

We lugged the whiskey to sit by the bay door of the warehouse, and began restacking the wooden crates in front of the vault. By the time we were done, we were all pretty winded and tired from the work.

"Almost done, guys" I said as I put my hand on Ginga's shoulder in encouragement, who was bent over as she tried to catch her breath. I opened the bay door and looked outside to make sure the coast was still clear. I then pushed it open completely so that we could finish the last part, which was loading the whiskey crates into the vehicles.

"You sure have a lot of energy today, Fate," Ginga commented.

"She has a date after this," Teana announced.

"_Whhaaaatttt?_" Ginga and Subaru replied in a playful tone. I closed my eyes and looked to the ceiling as they all took turns mocking me.

The jabs thankfully stopped as we maneuvered the heavy crates into the trunks of the cars, and we were all relieved to see that they fit inside. Ginga and Subaru entered their vehicle first and started it, and Teana got in to the driver's side of ours and started the engine as well. She then realized the trunk was still open, and got out to shut it.

"Be right there!" I called to Teana as I turned to resecure the padlock on the bay door. I had just started walking back to the cars when two patrol cops on foot rounded the corner of the warehouse and spotted us.

"Hey!" one of them yelled, and they both immediately started running in our direction.

"Oh shit, guys! Go, go, go!" I shouted.

"Hurry up and get it in!" Teana yelled back as she slammed the trunk shut and jumped into the driver's side. I was about to run to try to get into the car, but the cops both decided to target me since I was still on foot. They cut off my path to the vehicles and started running directly towards me, and one of them started blowing a whistle to signal any other officers in the area.

"Fuck, just go!" I told them. Ginga and Teana both floored the accelerators and the tires screeched before they quickly fled the scene. I ran in the opposite direction as fast as I could, and headed towards the area of the docks were the large shipping containers were kept. I was hoping to lose the cops in the maze of them, or to at least to find a hiding spot. My speed was considerably slower than how fast I would normally run, after having expended so much energy moving the heavy crates around in front of the vault.

"Just stop! You can't get away from us!" one of the officers yelled as he started gaining ground on me.

I turned a corner around one of the crates and was horrified to see a chain-link fence blocking my path. I knew I was trapped, but I made an attempt to climb the fence anyway. The two officers quickly caught me and pulled me off of it. They took me to the ground to handcuff me, and my face made hard contact with the pavement in the struggle. I could feel my lip was busted open, and figured my eye would be swollen as a result as well.

"I didn't do nothin'," I argued as they helped me stand back up after I was restrained.

"It didn't look like nothin'," the officer countered. "We saw what was in that trunk. You are under arrest for suspicion of trafficking illegal goods."

"Yeah, yeah," I replied sarcastically as they led me out of the area with the crates. There was a police wagon now waiting near the warehouse, and the two officers escorted me towards it.

I spotted Teana, Ginga, and Subaru parked a distance away from the docks. When Teana realized that I had been caught, I watched her take off her hat and throw it angrily against the console of the car. She then started up the engine and drove away, undoubtedly to report to Shamal and the others that I had been arrested.

One of the officers opened the backdoor to the wagon and I was led inside. I sat down on one of the bench seats in a huff and refused to look at any of them.

"Got anything you want to say?" one of the officers asked.

I remained silent, as I had been instructed to do if I ever ended up in this sort of situation. The cops merely shut the doors to the back loudly in response to my silence. I leaned my head back against the wall of the wagon, and I thought about not being able to see Nanoha again that evening like I had hoped.

"Well, so much for that," I muttered to myself as I was hauled away to jail for the first time in my life.

**oOOOo**

**Nanoha POV**

"What's going on in there?" Carim asked me as we both watched Teana rush in from the back hallway and into the office door.

"I'm not sure..." I replied as I reached over and turned off the record player. Ginga and Subaru ran into the office from the hallway shortly afterward, also looking distressed.

"Wait, where's Fate-chan?!" I asked in panicked realization.

Carim and I jumped off of the stage and quickly ran towards the office. I didn't hesitate to push the office door open, and I found everyone in discussion with Shamal inside.

"Where is she? Is she okay?!" I demanded.

"Fate was arrested down at the docks, Nanoha. She's okay though," Shamal informed me.

I breathed a little sigh of relief knowing that she wasn't physically injured, but I was still worried about what would happen to her now. Memories of my two-year stint in prison in New York flooded my mind, and I feared for her future after everything I had been through.

"Hayate is on the phone now," Shamal continued. "So everyone, just sit tight for a moment."

Carim left my side and went to talk to Ginga about what happened. Teana took off her hat and came over to stand in front of me, but she wasn't able to look at me directly. She looked like she was about to cry, and I put my hand on her arm in support.

"What happened?" I asked her.

"I couldn't help her," she said, her voice shaking with frustration. "She drew the cops away from us so that we wouldn't get caught. But I shouldn't have left her there!"

I gave her a hug. "Hey, come on now, Teana. There wouldn't have been any point in all of you getting caught, right? Fate was just doing what she had to, to protect you guys. I'm sure she will be fine, okay?"

Teana just nodded and looked at the floor when I pulled away from her, and she turned her hat in her hands absently in worry. Shamal headed into the backroom, and we all made small talk as we waited for word on what would happen to Fate.

Thirty minutes later, Shamal entered the office again. "You can go pick her up, Teana," she announced.

We all let out a collected sigh of relief, and Teana quickly started making her way to the door. I followed her out into the hallway. "Hey Teana, I'm coming with you," I told her.

Teana looked surprised for a moment at my declaration, and then she smiled a little. "Okay, Nanoha," she replied.

We made our way out the backdoor after I made a detour to the dressing room to pick up my purse, and we quickly walked in the cool summer evening towards the vehicle parked in the alleyway.

"Thanks for letting me come with you," I mentioned as we pulled out onto the street.

"No problem. I'm sure Fate will be happy you came," she replied. "I know she already considers you a good friend, Nanoha. We all do, in fact."

I smiled at her kind words. "It certainly nice to be here with the Yagami's and everyone. It's different than when I was singing in New York."

"So you were a singer before, um, prison then?" she asked me.

"Yes," I replied. "As well as doing other things for the club, like bartending and occasionally running for them. They weren't organized like the Yagami's though, and they certainly didn't care about the employees like they do here."

Teana nodded. "I think the Yagami's consider everyone more like family than employees, honestly. And we are all loyal to them in return. They also help Fate with all her crazy ideas, too."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, they bought her the equipment to try to make her own moonshine, even though she had no idea what she was doing," she replied. I noticed her visibly cringe after the comment.

"It's not very good?" I ventured.

"It needs work," she replied delicately. She then shifted in her seat a little. "You know, Nanoha? Sometimes... I think that her ambition might cloud her judgment about certain things."

"Such as?"

"Well, such as not giving herself a chance to be happy in other ways that don't involve work or being successful."

I glanced over at her, a little surprised "Like with you?"

Teana looked over at me in shock. "Huh? No! No, that's _not_ what I meant," she replied. She then chuckled a little to herself, probably at the notion of her being interested in Fate romantically.

"I think I get what your saying," I said and leaned back in my seat. "It's not that I don't understand that feeling myself, in a way."

"I'd like to think things are a bit different now, though," Teana added as we turned a corner and the police station came into view.

We approached the building and parked out front, and I noticed two man hovering around the front steps, one with a large camera. They seemed to perk up a little as Teana and I made our arrival, and the one started positioning the camera against his chest expectantly.

"Um, Nanoha...?" Teana said nervously as she watched them scurrying around.

"I'm sure it's nothing," I tried to reassure her. "I'll go get Fate-chan if you are worried about it though?"

"Can you? I can't have my picture taken here."

I opened up the car door. "Go park the car somewhere close, and when you see us come out, you can come pick us up," I instructed.

"Okay. Thanks, Nanoha!" Teana quickly put the car into reverse as I shut the car door and started walking up the sidewalk.

I began climbing the front steps of the courthouse quickly, and the man without the camera started walking beside me. "Excuse me, Miss? Are you here to bail out the runner?"

I stopped mid step and stared at the man in disbelief. "What did you just say?" I asked.

"Yuuno Scrya,_ Herald-Examiner,_" the blond man greeted, attempting to hold out his hand to me. I glared at it silently and made no motion to return the gesture.

"Right, yes. Of course," he said apologetically as he pulled his hand away. "We received a tip that a runner was picked up at the docks tonight. A female runner. Quite the looker, too," he added.

I glanced down at the camera man a few steps below, who looked ready to snap a picture of me at any moment. I closed my eyes and quickly tried to think of the best thing to do in this situation, and I decided to not say anything else to the reporter. I made my way up the rest of the steps instead, even though I knew that it would probably appear as an admission of guilt on my end.

"I'll take that as a yes!" he called after me, alluding to his original question about me being there to bail Fate out of jail.

I approached the police clerk at the front counter in the lobby. "I'm here to pick up Fate Harlaown?" I requested.

The officer gave me a condescending glance as he continued to stamp the paperwork in front of him. I waited for him to respond to my statement, although he seemed in no rush to assist me. He finally set the stamp down and breathed loudly, before he pulled the large ring of keys from the belt on his pants. He started going through each key one by one slowly, and it was then that I realized he was making a sarcastic statement regarding Fate's release.

"I appreciate your help?" I tried patiently.

He rolled his eyes as he stood up from his stool, and grabbed her hat from under the counter and threw it across to me. He then led me around a corner in the police station. I saw the beginnings of the cell holding area in front of me. We turned down another hallway, and I spotted Fate sitting on a bench in the last cell, staring at the floor with her arms crossed in front of her. She looked up and noticed me, and was immediately on her feet.

"Nanoha!" she cried. She put her hands on the bars as we approached her cell. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

The officer started unlocking the cell she was in. "You're free to go, Ms. Harlaown. But just remember, you might not be so lucky next time," he warned.

Fate quickly exited the cell and wrapped her arms tightly around me. "I'm so glad to see you, Nanoha!" she said excitedly.

"I'm glad to see you too, Fate-chan!" I replied as I pulled away from the hug. I then glanced around nervously, searching for a different exit out of the building.

Fate looked at me with a confused expression as I turned to the officer. "You wouldn't happen to have a back door, would you?" I said in the sweetest voice I could manage.

"Everyone goes out the front," was the cold reply I received as he relocked the cell door.

I grabbed Fate's hand and started pulling her away down the hallway. "Nanoha, what's going on?" she asked me.

I stopped in the lobby and turned to face her, and I handed her the hat to hold. I quickly starting fixing her hair and clothes as best as I could, and it was then that I noticed her bloodied lip and bruised eye in the better lighting. "Oh my god, Fate-chan! What happened to you?"

She laughed a little. "Ran into a doorknob?" she responded jokingly.

I inspected her injured face, and then looked back at the reporter standing outside. He was peering at us through the glass in the front door, waiting to pounce the second we walked out of the lobby.

"There is a reporter out there waiting to talk to you, Fate-chan. I have a plan though," I informed her as I fixed and smoothed her collar. She glanced back and forth between me and the door, now a little nervous.

"Just let me do the talking," I added.

"Wait, why does he want to talk to me? This is really not good."

"I know. Just... pretend like you just got your ass kicked by the police or something, okay?" I advised her.

"I _did_ just get my ass kicked by the police," she responded.

"Perfect!" I grabbed Fate by the arm and pulled her towards the front door of the station. The second we had crossed through the doorway the cameraman was taking pictures of Fate, and the reporter was eagerly trying to block our path.

"Excuse me, Miss! Are you the female runner named Fate that we received the tip about?" Yuuno asked her loudly.

Fate looked over to me, and the cameraman took a close up picture of her injured face. "Fate-chan happens to be a close, personal friend of mine," I announced. "Does this beautiful woman look like some sort of criminal to you, I ask?"

"What happened to your face?! How were you injured?!" Yuuno eagerly threw out his questions, and the cameraman continued to take pictures of us as we descended the stairs.

"Perhaps you need to ask the officers inside? My friend is too shaken up at the moment to even speak about what happened to her!" I responded. I saw Teana quickly driving the car up the street to intercept us in front of the police station.

"So is it true? Were you caught transporting illegal liquor, Miss Fate?" he continued as we came to the base of the steps.

"Anything Fate-chan is accused of can be attributed to a terrible upbringing. A life full of hardship and sacrifice! Have you no decency, Mr. Scrya?!" I responded angrily.

Yuuno stopped in his tracks. "So, wait... is she guilty or not?" he finally asked in a confused tone as Teana pulled the car up to the curb. Fate jumped over the side and into the backseat, and I quickly got in on the passenger side and pulled the car door shut. I merely raised my eyebrows at Yuuno in response to his last question, and Teana whisked us both away from the scene.

"Well, that should be interesting to see in the paper tomorrow," Teana commented as she watched the two men getting smaller in her rear view mirror.

"So... now what?" Fate asked as she leaned back in her seat and put her hat back on.

I turned around completely to face her, and rested my chin against the top of my hand that was gripping the back of the seat. "I want to see this moonshine equipment of yours, Fate-chan," I requested of her.

Fate glanced at the back of Teana's head momentarily, and then turned her attention to me again. She leaned forward in her seat, bringing her face closer to mine as she smiled at me playfully. "Well, in that case... let's head back to my place, Nanoha," she suggested.

* * *

**A/N:** Well, until next time (in Fate's apartment) ~Nissanity~


	4. Chapter 4 - Stuck on You

**A/N: **I have learned more than I every thought I would in my lifetime about making moonshine in prep for this chapter. If I drank alcohol myself, I would almost be tempted to try making my own after learning all of this. And this chapter is **Not Safe For Work (NSFW)**, by the way. This update is all NanoFate, and the story will progress again next chapter.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters from or the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha anime, nor any other movie, actor, brand, song, or character referenced or stated in this story.

* * *

******Rum-Runner Girls**

by : ~Nissanity~

******Chapter 4 – ****__****Stuck on You**

* * *

******Fate POV **

I parked the car in front of my apartment building and exited the driver's side door, and Nanoha exited the passenger side as she inspected the exterior of the run-down brick building in front of her. After we had left the police station, we had a quick visit with Shamal at the club to assure her that I was okay. I then dropped Teana off at her place and took the car, so that I could drive Nanoha home after her visit to see the still setup where I lived.

"We have to be quiet," I advised Nanoha as we stood in front of the doorway that led inside the apartment building.

I pushed opened the front door slowly, and we entered the lobby of the Rayman Apartments that evening. I shut the front door quietly behind me, and then lead her to the basement door, which was hidden underneath the staircase in front of us. I unlocked the door as quietly as I could and turned on the light switch that was just inside the entrance.

I guided Nanoha down the stairs to the dusty basement where I had the moonshine equipment set up. The only other things in the basement were the table I prepared the mash on, and the coal-fed heater for the apartments, which was currently dormant this time of year.

"Hey, this isn't a bad setup," Nanoha said approvingly as she looked over the copper still, wooden thump keg, and the worm box. She looked inside the still to see if I had any mash fermenting in it, which I currently did not.

"You know about this sort of thing?" I asked

Nanoha smiled and shut the lid. "A little bit. My father used to make his own, even before Prohibition. But only for himself to drink. Growing up, I used to watch him make it in the basement of the family cafe, just like this."

I leaned up against the table. "Maybe you can tell me where I'm messing up then?"

Nanoha looked into the open worm box, and inspected the spiraled copper tubing that was currently resting in the empty wooden keg. "Well, what's your process? What ingredients do you use?"

"Just a normal cornmeal mash," I responded as I walked over to the still and placed my hand on it. "Let it ferment a few days, then I heat it up - "

"172 degrees, right?" Nanoha asked.

"Yep," I replied. "The steam hits the thump box to get rid of any mash that made through the first step, and then moves into the spiral copper tubing. I use ice water during the final part, to make the steam turn back into liquid. I filter it when it comes out one last time."

"And how much of the alcohol are you tossing out in the beginning?"

I paused. "Tossing out? Well, none."

"Oh, well that's your problem then, I think. The first part is methanol. The stuff that is comes out around 148 degrees?" she advised. I nodded. "It will change the taste if you don't get rid of it. Plus, it can kill someone if they drink too much of it."

I grimaced. "God, please don't tell Teana that I almost killed us. She would so pissed."

Nanoha laughed. "Alright. The first part always is the worst, methanol or not. So just let it run for a bit and then you should get something more like what you're wanting to drink."

I sunk my head a little. "So, something that simple was the problem this whole time, huh?"

"Just think of it as an easy fix?" Nanoha suggested.

"Ha, maybe so. Did your dad make whiskey, by the way?"

Nanoha shook her head. "No, he made rum."

"Oh. Huh, not a lot of rum around these parts..." I said thoughtfully.

"I can give you a recipe I know from my dad, if you want to try it instead? It uses brown sugar and a little bit of honey. The ingredients are more expensive, but you'll get something that tastes better out of it."

"Yeah... You know what? I'll try it. Something different sounds good," I responded.

Nanoha looked around the basement. "Got anything for me to write the recipe down on?"

"Yeah, up in the apartment. Let's head upstairs," I replied.

Nanoha and I went back up the stairs and I shut off the light to the basement, and we made our way to my first floor apartment at the end of the hall. I had swept and washed the dishes earlier that day, but the apartment itself was still in disrepair. There were several large cracks in the walls, and the wallpaper was only intact in bits and pieces here and there. There was only one large living area, with a small bathroom off one end that had a door for privacy.

"Sorry. It's all I can afford, since I rent the basement for the still too," I informed her. "They called it an 'efficiency' when I moved in."

"It's okay, Fate-chan. Where I live isn't much better," she assured me.

"Oh hey! Wait right here, Nanoha. I forgot something in the car," I said, suddenly remembering the object I had forgotten to bring in from the trunk.

"Okay, no problem," she responded. I ran down the hall as quietly as I could and down the walkway outside, to retrieve the item that Shamal had given me as we left the club that evening. I made it back to the apartment, and saw Nanoha setting up the phonograph across the room. She turned around when she heard me come back in, and my favorite record started playing.

I showed her the large bottle of Canadian Club whiskey I had tucked under my arm, and her eyes grew wide. "Where did you get that?" she asked me in disbelief.

I went to the cabinet to retrieve two shot glasses. "Shamal gave it to me. She said it was to celebrate getting out of jail. Or maybe it was for my first arrest? I can't remember."

I poured two shots, and then handed one of them to Nanoha. We clinked the glasses together, and then both drank them in one go. It burned going down my throat and in my chest, but it tasted incredible. I poured us another round immediately.

"I'm sure Shamal thought it was worth it. You saving the other runners and all the product, I mean," Nanoha mentioned.

"Yeah, if we had been caught with all that, it would have been a disaster," I replied. "We will have to be more careful next time." We both quickly drank the second shot, and I went back to get a couple of tumblers from the cabinet next.

Nanoha walked across the room to where my bed was and sat down on it. She bounced up and down a few times, and the iron springs creaked loudly underneath her. She immediately stopped and grinned at me.

I laughed in return as I crossed the room and handed her a tumbler. I sat down in the wooden chair across from the bed and took a slower sip of the drink this time, and then reached into my vest pocket to retrieve my pack of cigarettes.

"Thank you," Nanoha said as she raised the tumbler of whiskey towards me. She took a sip, and then set the glass on the stand next to the bed.

"You know, Fate-chan," she began, and looked over at me cautiously. "There's something... different about you."

I lit a cigarette and passed it to her. "What do you mean?" I asked, and then retrieved a second one.

Nanoha took a drag as she studied me. "I think everyone can see it. That it's just a matter of time before you figure out how to become more in life than this."

I laughed a little to myself. "Well I haven't had much luck, honestly. But you, Nanoha. You've certainly got whatever it is that you're talking about."

It was Nanoha's turn to laugh. "I've only been lucky here. I was a bit of a fuck-up in New York. Things just seem to work for me in Chicago though. Somehow."

"Guess you belong here then, where you can be appreciated for what you're worth."

Nanoha smiled. "Maybe so?" She then stood up and held out her hand to me as a new song, _Bugle Call Rag_, began to play. "Do you dance, Fate-chan?" she asked.

I finished the rest of my drink and set my empty tumbler down next to hers on the stand. "A little," I replied as I moved the chair out of the way. I took her hand and spun her around twice, and she pulled away from me and started dancing on her own. I put my hands in my pockets and swayed a little in place while she danced, and she ran her hands across my shoulders as she circled around me.

When Nanoha came in front of me a second time, I grabbed one of her hands in mine and wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her close. She gripped her free hand on my shoulder and we both spun around the room to the song together, laughing as we made our rounds around the limited floor space throughout the song. We pulled away towards the end of the song and did our own silly little dances, before I held my hand out to her one last time and spun her again. We ended the song with me dipping her and then pulling her back up to face me, both of us grinning wildly.

A slow song came on afterward, and Nanoha's smile faded a little, as did mine. I pulled her towards me, and she gently put her cheek against mine as we started to dance slower in the middle of the room together. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feel of her smooth skin against my cheek, and the way her breath tickled my neck a little.

"I'm glad I met you, Fate-chan," Nanoha said softly beside me.

I nodded and placed my lips next to her ear. "You too, Nanoha."

The music from the phonograph stopped after the song finished, signaling we needed to reset the record. Nanoha pulled away from me suddenly and turned around to start the music again. I stood in the middle of the room, lost in a daze over what had just happened between us. I shook my head to clear my mind as I watched her look for a new record in my collection. I then decided another drink was in order.

"Want a refill?" I asked her as I grabbed her tumbler, as well as mine, from the stand.

"I would love one!" she said over her shoulder.

I refilled both of our glasses and headed back across the room towards her. The new record she selected started playing, and she turned around when she heard me approach her. I held her tumbler out to her, and she drank her new portion in one large gulp. I paused in shock, and then handed her my tumbler next, which she drank half of immediately as well.

I looked down at her empty tumbler. "I'd better catch up," I mentioned quietly, and made my way back to the kitchen counter. I took two shots in a row, and then refilled the empty tumbler as well. I grabbed the bottle of whiskey and brought it with me, and set it on the windowsill by the phonograph.

Another upbeat song played, and I held my hand out to her. She immediately took it, and we danced around the room again, although this time we stumbled around a bit more. We laughed as the whiskey increasingly affected our senses, and it was not long before I was teetering between tipsy and drunk. We paused for a moment in dancing to sip on our drinks and to catch our breath, and I lit another cigarette.

"It's getting hot," I mentioned, and Nanoha turned to refill her glass again from the bottle on the windowsill. I first took off my shoes and socks and threw them away from me clumsily. I removed my vest, and then unbuttoned and took off my dress shirt, leaving me in just my white muscle shirt and dress pants. I threw my dress shirt over to the corner of the room next to the shoes, and sat down in the wooden chair again to rest for a minutes.

"O-oh," Nanoha stammered as turned around and saw sitting me in the chair.

"What?" I asked.

She raised her eyebrows and bit her bottom lip. "I guess it is getting a little warm in here," she finally commented. I watched her slip off her shoes and slide them over next to my pile of clothes. She then raised her foot onto the bed to slide her stockings down her thighs and off her legs. She glanced over at me, and caught me watching her undressing.

"Oh, s-sorry," I stuttered and looked away, opting to focus on smoking my cigarette instead as I studied the floor. Nanoha removed more clothing, and before I knew it she was standing in front of me in just her white slip. She had the now nearly empty bottle of whiskey in her hand, and I sat up straighter in the chair when she straddled my waist unexpectedly.

Nanoha took the cigarette from my hand, and replaced it with the bottle. She took a drag from my cigarette, and I took a drink. She put the cigarette back in my mouth afterward, and removed the bottle from my hand again to take a drink in return. I realized at some point I had wrapped my arm around her waist to pull her closer into me.

"Would you like another drink, Fate-chan?" she asked sweetly. I nodded and reached up to grab the bottle from her, but she instead started drinking from it again. She then bent down towards me, and I was surprised when her lips met mine, and she transferred the whiskey from her mouth into mine. I inadvertently moaned a little in response, and then found my tongue suddenly dancing around and sucking on her tongue that was still present in my mouth.

Nanoha was already moving her hips a little against mine in the chair, as I ran my hands along her thighs and up the sides of her stomach as we kissed. My hands stopped once I had reached her breasts, and I ran my thumbs across the middle of them and found her already erect nipples. I teased the pads of my thumbs around them, and I massaged and cupped her breasts in my hands.

"God, that feels so good Fate-chan," she said as her lips hovered over mine. Her arms were wrapped around my neck with our foreheads together now, and she started breathing unsteadily in front of me. I heard the now empty bottle drop to the floor behind us.

Nanoha pulled my head into her neck, and I eagerly placed open-mouth kisses along her nape as she clenched fistfuls of my hair in her fingers. I trailed my mouth down her chest to the cleavage her slip exposed, hungrily licking and kissing the area. I felt her tug on my hair to guide me to look up at her, and I complied. "No complications tomorrow, right?" she questioned.

"None," I assured her as I stood up from the chair. She kept her legs wrapped around my waist as I walked both of us over to the bed, kissing her the entire time. I set her down first, and then laid down on top of her. Her legs never unwrapped from around my waist as I positioned the two of us in the middle.

I leaned up on my knees and moved her slip to rest above her chest, exposing her entire body beneath me. She sat up and quickly removed it from over her head altogether. She reached down and started unbuttoning my pants for me. Once they were opened, I leaned her back against the bed and kissed her again.

"You sure you are okay with this?" I asked her between kisses.

"Yes," Nanoha replied. "I want you to touch me everywhere, Fate-chan."

I moved slowly as I trailed kisses from her neck down across her collarbone, and turned my attention to her breasts. I rolled my tongue around one of her nipples, intermittently sucking on it as well. I massaged her other breast in my hand, and pinched and pulled at her peak with my fingertips. Nanoha's hips began to push up against mine as she squirmed under me.

"Fate-chan... I want you..." she pled as her hips jerked a little against the bed.

I trailed my mouth down her stomach, dipping my tongue into her belly button. I firmly grabbed her hips in my hands as she bucked under me.

"Please..." she begged, and I placed both of her legs over my shoulders and pulled her body across the bed to move her closer to me. She placed both of her hands on top of my head as I hovered over her heated center, finally flicking her clit once with my tongue between her folds.

"Anhh!" Nanoha moaned, and she dug her heel into the side of my back. I pushed my flattened tongue again her nub more steadily, and her head leaned back into the bed as her hips rocked in response to the rhythm of my tongue's ministrations.

"Aah, Fate-chan... please... more..." she whimpered after a few minutes. She grabbed my hand from her breast and started guiding it downward. Nanoha was already wet enough that my index and middle finger easily slid inside of her, while my tongue continued to stimulate her above my now thrusting hand.

Nanoha widened her legs to allow me deeper access inside of her, and I pulled my mouth away and sat up on my knees. I reached under her neck and gently coaxed her into a sitting position straddling my waist, with my fingers still inside her. I added a third digit as her body moved up and down around my fingers. She leaned back against her arms on the bed, her hands clutching the sheet firmly in her fingers. She seemed to be concentrating completely on moving her body to bring her to climax. I felt my arm burning with exertion, but I continued my thrusting in and out of her.

"I'm... so close..." she gasped as I felt her walls tighten around my fingers. We both slowed our movement, and I curled my fingers inside of her deliberately to bring her to the edge. Her walls clamped tightly around fingers.

"Nanoha..." I groaned, overwhelmed with feeling of being inside of her and her response to my fingers causing her such pleasure.

"Aah! Ughn! Fate...chan... Fateeee!" she cried as she came. I closed my eyes as I felt her release a wave of wetness in my hand and down my wrist, and she shook and trembled with ragged breaths against me as she collapsed after. She jerked a few times in aftershocks as she came down from her waves of ecstasy.

I laid her back down on the bed gently, and she placed her arm around the back of my neck and kissed me deeply. I felt her hand begin to trail down my side until it reached my unbuttoned pants, and she made an attempt to remove them from over my hips.

"I want to feel you too," she requested, her eyes meeting mine steadily as I hovered over her again.

"Okay, Nanoha..." I agreed, and leaned on an elbow to remove my pants from both of my legs. Nanoha positioned herself against the iron bars of the front frame of the bed, half sitting up as she waited for me. After my pants were discarded, I positioned her legs around me as I mounted her. I reached down to spread both of our lips apart so that we would be fully touching.

Nanoha gripped the bars in her hands behind her. "Mmm!" she moaned as soon as I grabbed her around the waist with an arm, and started sliding her up and down against me. Her wetness in combination with mine caused us to easily glide against each other.

I leaned over her, and pushed myself harder into her repeatedly. "Nanohaaaa," I whispered desperately in her ear. I gripped my free hand around one of the iron bars for leverage as I thrust against her more. Her hands suddenly moved from the iron frame to dig her fingers into my hips. She pulled me into her harder with her legs as well, and the sound of the loud creaking of the bed echoed across the room.

"I wanted you... so much... Fate-chan," Nanoha stated as we continued to move together. "From the first moment... I saw you."

I nodded and pulled Nanoha closer as I was about to peak. "You too... Nanoha," I replied as my body tensed above her. "Oh...god..." I whispered as I slowed down and began to feel my clit starting to twitch against hers. I held my breath as I hugged her against me, knowing she was mid-climax as well.

Nanoha writhed under me. "Fateeee!" she cried as a new wetness escaped both of us and mixed as we came together. I collapsed onto her for a moment, and then rolled over to lay next to her on the bed. I folded my arm under my head to act as a pillow as I looked in her direction.

"I am... so drunk," I declared after a moment. Nanoha and I both started laughing.

"I'm going to feel like shit tomorrow," she responded, rubbing her eyes for a few seconds with the palms of her hands. She then turned to look at me as well. "Tonight was fun," she said, smiling genuinely.

I yawned and closed my eyes. "Yep, we will have to do this again sometime," I responded sleepily.

"Um-hmm." Nanoha turned to face me fully in the bed. "Good night, Fate-chan," was the last thing I heard before succumbing to the mixture of alcohol and physical satisfaction I had experienced. We didn't even bother to turn out the light above us in the apartment, as we slept soundly in my bed that night together.

**oOOOo**

_Knock, knock, knock_! I heard coming from my door the next morning. I sat up in bed and immediately grabbed my head in pain, and laid back down again as the room spun a little. I turned my head to face the pillow next to me and opened one eye. I saw that Nanoha was gone, and that a note had been placed on the pillow she had been sleeping on.

"_Had to go. Didn't want to wake you up. The recipe for the rum is on the next page. Good luck with it. -Nanoha_" it read.

I turned to the second page to see the recipe measurements, when another knock came to the door. "Yeah, hang on!" I called. I picked up my pants from the floor and put them back on, and buttoned them as I walked. I opened the door to find Teana on the other side, leaning in the doorway.

"Hey," I greeted, and turned away from her. I walked back over to the corner of the room and found my vest, which had my pack of cigarettes in them. I sat down and lit a cigarette as Teana made her way into the room. She walked over to the phonograph and saw the empty whiskey bottle on the floor.

"Impressive," she mentioned. I noticed she had a folded up newspaper under her arm, and she passed it on to me. "Thought you would want to see this as soon as possible."

I opened the folded paper. I didn't see anything noteworthy on the top half of the first page, so I flipped it over to look at the bottom half. I nearly dropped the newspaper on the floor when I saw a picture of me in the bottom right corner exiting the police station. The headline above my picture in dark black letters read - - "_VILLAIN... OR VICTIM?_"

"Oh, fuck," I said, and started reading the article. "Does Hayate know yet?"

"Everyone knows," Teana replied. "We are supposed to lay low for today until they come up with a plan."

"Let's just hope I still have job after all of this," I commented.

I threw the newspaper onto the kitchen counter, and then stood up and went to retrieve the rest of my clothes. Teana looked interested when I began to put my shoes on. "Where are you going?" she asked.

I stood up and started buttoning up my shirt. "Well, first I need to eat something," I told her. "And then I've got to go pick up some ingredients for a brand new batch I'm starting today."

"Fate..." Teana began to protest.

I smiled and held up the recipe that Nanoha had given me that morning for her to see. "Trust me, Teana. This time... it's_ going _to work."

* * *

**A/N:** See you on the next update! ~Nissanity~


	5. Chapter 5 - Hitting On All Sixes

**A/N: **To **davion**, there will be rival gangs introduced a bit later in the story, as the 'family' expands in its successes. For now, I'm opting to introduce a different type of 'rival' in the mix, which I don't often do in my stories.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters from or the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha anime, nor any other movie, actor, brand, song, or character referenced or stated in this story.

* * *

******Rum-Runner Girls**

by : ~Nissanity~

******Chapter 5 – ****__****Hitting On All Sixes**

* * *

******Fate POV **

"Is everyone here looking at us?" I asked, sinking down in the booth seat a little.

"Nope, not at us," Teana replied as she looked around the diner slowly. "Just you."

I groaned and hid my face behind my menu as best as possible, and Teana placed her open hand next to her face to block it from the other patrons in the restaurant. Most of the customers had newspapera open at their tables, and quite a few were glancing between my picture and at me.

"We will just eat and go," I said.

Teana nodded. "So, how did it go last night after you dropped me off?"

"Good. Nanoha and I had a lot of fun," I replied. I winced after my comment, with my hangover still plaguing me this morning.

"I guess things are going to be different for you from here on out?" Teana asked as she glanced over the menu in front of her.

"What do you mean?"

"I guess I just assumed you and Nanoha were an item now?" she replied with a shrug.

I shook my head. "No, Nanoha is still a good friend." I put a little sugar in my coffee and stirred it. "No complications," I added, recalling her words from the previous night.

Teana looked up at me quickly after my declaration. "Wait, are you saying you _aren't_ interested in anything serious with her?"

I glanced over my menu again. "I'm still the same person I was last week, Teana. Nothing's changed on my end."

"Well yeah, but... Aren't you worried someone else - ?" she began.

"Can I take your order?" the waitress said suddenly beside our table, interrupting Teana. I looked up at her and smiled.

"Daily special, please," I replied as I handed her the menu.

Teana handed up her menu as well. "Just coffee for me."

I took a sip of my coffee after she left. "So what were you were saying before, Teana?" I asked as I looked at her over my mug.

"Well, I was just going to say that another pers- " she tried again, but we stopped when someone new approached the table.

"Are you Miss Fate?" the elderly diner patron asked me with a sweet smile. She had her hand wrapped around her husband's arm, and he looked a little embarrassed that his wife had interrupted Teana and I.

"Yes, ma'am, that's me," I confirmed politely.

The woman hit her husband on the arm with her free hand. "See, Harold! I told you it was her. Oh, sweetie what those officers did to you is nothing short of police brutality! I have it in my right mind to call that police chief myself and give him a piece of my mind."

"No ma'am, that won't be necessary. I appreciate the offer, but I'm just looking to move on from here with my life," I replied, the statement coming to me completely on a whim.

"Oh, you are such a sweet, helpless little thing! I wish you the best of luck, deary. Let's go, Harold." The couple walked away from the table as I nodded goodbye and thanked them for their concern. I watched them walk out the diner door, and then turned my attention back to Teana.

"Such a helpless little thing, indeed," she mocked me as she smirked.

I threw my hands in the air and shrugged. "Well, whatever works, I guess."

"So what's the plan for today?" Teana asked.

"I was thinking of going to the grocer and picking up what I need, and then heading back home to make first the mash. I have to get it going as soon as possible."

"Do you need help with making it?"

I shook my head. "No, I'll be okay. Maybe you can get a run in today without me? It's not fair for you lose out on money because of me."

"I guess I could head to the club and talk to Shamal after I drop you off. See if she has anything I could do," she agreed.

The waitress approached our table again and set the greasy plate of food in front of me on the table. I felt a wave a nausea come over me, but I picked up my fork in determination, knowing I needed to eat to combat my hangover.

"Remind me never to drink again, Teana," I requested as I took my first bite, and I attempted to eat as fast as I could to get us out of the diner quickly. I was mostly finished with my food when Teana suddenly looked nervously over my shoulder, and then sunk down in her seat. I glanced behind me and observed two police officers walking into the diner, and I quickly ducked my head to try to avoid being seen by them.

"Okay... they are heading to the other side of the diner," Teana informed me after a moment.

I relaxed a little. "They probably wouldn't be too happy to see me right now," I mentioned.

"Well, yeah!" Teana replied with a sarcastic nod. "Accusing every cop in Chicago that you were their human punching bag was probably not a good idea."

"That was the reporter's words, not mine," I said defensively.

"I think you should just go home for now, Fate," Teana suggested as she put her hat on and made motions to stand up from the table.

"Well, yeah but - " I tried to protest.

"Don't worry, I'll go get your ingredients for you from the store. But you should do what Shamal says and just lay low for now. This just seems like you are asking for trouble by being out in public right now."

"I guess you're right." I stood up from the table as well, and put down enough money to cover the bill plus tip.

Teana and I walked out of the cafe quickly and made our way to the car. "I appreciate you doing all this for me, by the way," I added.

"I don't mind, Fate. I know you would do the same for me," she replied.

I handed Teana the money for the supplies, and the recipe that Nanoha gave me. "Here. And if you see Nanoha sometime soon... Tell her I said thanks for everything, okay?"

"No problem, Fate. I'll make sure she knows everything," she assured me.

**oOOOo**

_~Four Days Later~_

_Knock, knock, knock. _"Hey, can I come in?" I asked as I pushed open the door to the dressing room.

"Fate-chan!" Nanoha exclaimed from her chair. "I'm so glad to see you!"

I walked over to greet Nanoha, who stood up and gave me a hug when I got closer. "Sorry, I was laying low for a few days, until things died down with the newspaper article," I told her.

"Yeah, Teana told me earlier this week," she replied as she pulled away. "We missed seeing you around here."

I pulled a small flask out from my vest pocket and handed it to her. "It was worth it though, I think."

"Is this...?" she began.

"I hope it turned out okay?" I said as Nanoha took a sip from the flask. She paused for a moment as she looked at it, and then smiled at me genuinely.

"Yep, this is pretty much it!" she replied.

I let out a sigh of relief. "Great! I talked to Shamal and Hayate just now. They are letting me stock it behind the bar as the house rum for now. I have five gallons made so far."

"Well, that was certainly generous of them," Nanoha replied, impressed with the Yagami's generosity.

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Yeah, well...They get seventy-five percent of the profit," I informed her with a small laugh.

"Nyahaha, oh," she giggled. Nanoha looked down at my clothing, and noticed I was wearing a white button-up shirt with black suspenders, instead of my usual vest. "Are you going on a run?"

"No, I'm still off of them until tomorrow."

"So what are you up to now?" Nanoha asked.

"One of the bartenders is sick, so I'm filling in for them tonight. It's Saturday, so they need all the help they can get."

Nanoha's face lit up and she grabbed my hands excitedly. "Wait, that means you can see the new act tonight then!"

"Yep! I'm looking forward to it."

"Fate, are you in here?" I heard Carim's voice come from behind me. "Hey, there you are! Shamal wanted me to tell you it's time to start stocking the bar."

I turned back to Nanoha. "I've got to go," I said reluctantly.

Nanoha reached up to hug me quickly. "Okay, Fate-chan. I'll see you out there."

I made my way out of the dressing room and up to the front, to begin restocking the bar for the shift that evening. I had just finished cutting lemons and cracking some ice when Signum let the first patrons into the club, and soon there was a steady stream of customers requesting drinks of me and the fellow bartender. A few people I didn't know called me 'Miss Fate', and gave sympathetic words about my 'predicament' with the police earlier in the week.

At one point around ten o'clock the amount of people at the bar was starting to feel a little overwhelming, and I was grateful when the orchestra started playing, which turned some of the customers' attention away from us. I was in the middle of making four New York Sour's when I heard the orchestra start to play the song that Nanoha and Carim had been rehearsing to the previous Sunday. I glanced up as much as I could while pouring the drinks to see the two of them dancing onto stage from opposite directions, holding up their skirts while heading towards the center.

"It's 'The Charleston'!" one of the women at the bar exclaimed happily.

Nanoha and Carim started doing a dance I hadn't seen before, alternating kicking out one foot forward and then bringing one leg back, while their arms made large half circles in front of them. There then seemed to be a lot of impromptu dancing involved, although it all seemed to be similar dance steps. Carim's legs picked up speed as she went, and I was impressed with her ability to keep the pace up throughout the song.

"Look at her go!" one of the men yelled and whistled loudly towards the stage.

Nanoha opted to do more choreographed movements, doing little spins and hops as her legs moved to the sounds of the horns from the orchestra. Even the conductor danced a little as he led the musicians, and the players would occasionally move to one side or another in sync during certain parts of the songs.

During the fourth song, Nanoha and Carim were both dancing on top of small stands on the stage. It was quite a feat considering how wild the dance was, in relation to the size of the surface they were on.

"If only that brunette's stand was a little bit higher..." a male patron mentioned to another in front of me. He bent down sideways, pretending to try and see up Nanoha's skirt.

I slammed a glass loudly on the bar. "Did you boys want something to drink?" I asked him heatedly through clenched teeth.

Shamal came up to refill her service tray, having just ran some drinks to the table for the busy waitresses. "Keep your shit together, Fate," she reminded me. "It's only going to get worse as the night goes."

"I know. Sorry, Shamal," I grumbled, trying to prepare myself for what I might hear about Nanoha as the night went on.

"I'm still not used to it," a voice suddenly said beside me. I turned and found Ginga leaning on the bar door beside me and smiling, and she then motioned up to Carim with a nod. Carim and Nanoha's song ended, and Ginga waved up to the blond on stage. Carim smiled and gestured for Ginga to approach her.

As Ginga walked across the club, I observed Carim and Nanoha quickly talking to each other while the orchestra prepared for the next number. When Ginga reached the stage, Carim bent down and whispered something in her ear. Nanoha winked at me and smiled before Carim stood back up and the next number started, and they were back to performing their set again.

Ginga came back to the bar. "The girls want drinks," she informed me. "Two shot of rum, and two drinks called Planter's Punch?"

I laughed a little to myself with their request, and then started getting the shot glasses and tumblers ready. I poured two shots of the rum I had just distilled that afternoon, as well as adding shots of it to each tumbler. I then added equal parts sour mix and orange juice, some grenadine, and a cherry as garnish. I gestured for Shamal to come retrieve the drinks when the next song was almost over.

"For the girls," I told her as I pointed to the stage. Shamal nodded and loaded the drinks onto her tray, and made her way up front as the song was ending. She passed the drinks up to the girls, and the brightly colored yellow and red cocktails were highly noticeable in their hands, even from across the room. Nanoha and Carim first clinked the shots of rum together and downed the drinks in sync.

"What are you drinking?!" one of the patrons shouted from his table, and the entire club turned their attention to the stage. There was a lull at the bar suddenly, giving me and my fellow bartender a break as we watched the stage with everyone else.

"Rum! Planter's Punch!" Nanoha replied loudly. I observed many of the women in the audience pointing up to the drink in their hands, as they talked with their companions. Nanoha then took everyone by complete surprise when she dipped her index finger into the cocktail, and then ran her tongue along her own fingertip suggestively. She then put her entire finger in her mouth to the base, and was sucking on it as she slowly removed it from her mouth. She finally bit down on her fingertip with her teeth a little, and she raised her eyebrows at the crowd playfully.

"_Oooohhh! Dammmnn!_" the audience yelled excitedly during her motion, with the men sitting up a little more in their seats.

Nanoha then strutted over to Carim across the stage, and grabbed her cherry garnish from her glass. She dipped it in her drink, and then gestured to Carim that she was going to feed it to her. Carim opened her mouth and licked it once playfully with the tip of her tongue. She then held the cherry in her teeth for a few seconds, before pulling it off the stem completely. The crowd roared in excitement.

"Holy shit!" a very tense Ginga said beside me.

"No kidding..." I replied, in complete shock over what I had just witness Nanoha and Carim do on stage. Almost everyone standing in front of the bar immediately turned and rushed the bar again.

"I'll have one of those cocktails," the first female patron told me, gesturing up to the stage.

"I'll have three shots of rum," another man down the bar requested of the other bartender.

"Six Planter's Punches!" Shamal called from the serving deck. "Ginga, help barback for now!"

"We are going to need more orange juice and sour mix," I advised her as I moved around the bar quickly, trying to fill the new orders. "It's in storage area."

The other bartender and I quickly went through most of the rum that I had made that day within an hour. It was completely gone by midnight when Carim and Nanoha finished up their sets, and we switched back to the rum that we had been using before as the house brand. Ginga assisted us as much as she could through the rush, and the crowd started slowing at the bar when Carim and Nanoha were no longer performing on stage.

"How long are you here till?" Ginga asked me as she finished assisting us.

"Probably about two thirty," I told her. "The club closes at two, and then I have to clean and restock the bar after."

"Okay. Well, I'm going to head back to the dressing room to get Carim," she told me.

"Sounds good. Hey, will you tell Nanoha the good news about selling out of the rum tonight?" I requested.

Ginga smiled. "Yeah, no problem. See you later, Fate!"

**oOOOo**

**Nanoha POV**

"It was good to see Fate back tonight," Carim mentioned as she removed her dress in the dressing room after our performance.

"Um-hmm," I replied as I started taking off my makeup.

"So... now what?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, after the other night..." she began, and then raised her eyebrows at me.

I waved my hand dismissively. "We were drunk. It was a one-time thing," I responded.

"What?! You can't really mean that, Nanoha?" she asked unbelievingly.

I paused for a moment as I stared at her through one of the dressing room mirrors, trying to hide what I really knew of the situation with Fate. I then sighed in frustration and slumped a little in my chair.

"Fate-chan doesn't want anything like that right now, okay?" I stated. "So I'm not going to push myself on her, on top of everything else she has going on."

Carim snorted a little. "Well, that doesn't seem like you," she scoffed as she sat down next to to me.

I glared at her through the mirror as best as I could, although I was unable to completely suppress a smile at her jab. "I'm not going to complicate things."

"There's _always_ complications."

"I'm busy too, you know!" I replied, switching tactics.

"Not _that_ busy," she said defiantly. She then placed her hand on my shoulder. "So what, are you going to just wait around for Fate then, until she's ready? That doesn't seem right, either."

"I was never looking for anything in the first place either. I can just be friends with her, Carim. It's fine."

Carim frowned at me. "Well, just... don't deny yourself something else that might come along instead then, just because you're hung up on her."

"What's with the sudden interest in my love life, by the way?" I said jokingly.

"I just want you to be happy Nanoha, that's all. You deserve it."

I finished taking off my makeup and threw the tissues in the trash can. "Well, I certainly wouldn't get with somebody else just because I'm not going to pursue anything with Fate-chan. That wouldn't be fair to me or them either."

"There she is!" we heard called happily from the doorway, and Ginga quickly walked into the dressing room.

"Babyyyy!" Carim greeted sweetly and ran over to give her a kiss. Teana followed Ginga in shortly after, and I walked across the room to say hi to her.

"I guess it's official then?" I mentioned to Teana about Ginga and Carim's display of affection.

Teana nodded, her face blushing a little as she looked away from them. "Y-Yeah, I guess so."

"Do you guys have any more runs tonight?" I asked them.

"Nope!" Ginga replied. "I'm taking Carim out to a different speakeasy tonight, actually. Subaru is outside in the car waiting for us."

"Want to come, Nanoha?" Carim asked me as she grabbed her purse.

I shook my head, with thoughts of my hangover from earlier that week still lingering fresh in my mind. "No, I think I'm just going to head home. But you guys have fun!"

"Did you want a ride? I was just going to wait here for Fate anyway," Teana mentioned as I began to retrieve my belongings.

"Oh, you're not going with them to the speakeasy?"

Teana shrugged. "It's not really my thing."

I smiled. "Well, yes then. I'd love a ride home if you don't mind, Teana."

The four of us exited the dressing room and walked down the hall together. We stopped outside the kitchen hallway to glance in at Fate, who was still busy making drinks behind the bar. We caught her attention for a moment and waved goodbye to her. She smiled and waved as best as she could before returning her attention to the customers again.

"I almost feel bad for leaving her," I said. "She's still so busy right now."

"I wouldn't be," Teana assured me. "I know she is happy about all the tips she is making. She spent almost all her money on ingredients this week."

I was impressed with Fate's determination. "Wow, she really risked everything on it, huh?" The four of us entered into the alleyway and chatted around the doorway before parting ways.

"Oh, hey Nanoha! I almost forgot to tell you, they sold out of Fate's rum tonight," Ginga informed me.

"All of it?!" I cried.

"Good thing she had backup batches then," Teana mentioned.

Subaru walked up to our group from the car. "Hey, Nanoha! Are you going with us?" she asked cheerfully.

I shook my head. "No, sorry. I'm - " I began, but stopped short when I saw a familiar blond-haired man quickly walking down the alleyway towards us, the same cameraman in tow.

"Shit," I muttered under my breath.

Teana glanced back and forth between him and I as he approached us. "Why is he here, Nanoha?" she asked quietly.

"What do you want now?" I asked him impatiently when he neared us.

"Where's Fate?" Yuuno appeared eager, glancing down the alleyway into the two cars, and then at the backdoor of the club.

"You've got your story already, Mr. Scrya. Why don't you just leave her alone now?"

Yuuno shook his head and pushed his glasses back up his nose with his finger. "No can do! Chicago is in love with her. The people want more."

I crossed my arms defiantly. "Well, that's too bad. She is done with the whole situation."

Yuuno smirked at me a little before he turned his vision to Ginga, Teana, and Subaru, as if he had just noticed them for the first time.

"Wait a minute..." he began, and he gestured over his shoulder to the cameraman. I pulled Teana to stand behind me, and Carim blocked Ginga and Subaru from his view. His partner raised up the camera to take a picture of them.

"Looks like we are at an impasse, it seems," Yuuno stated. "So, what's it going to be?" The camera was raised a little bit higher, threatening to click at any moment.

I felt Teana's hand enter into mine, and I looked back over my shoulder at her. I gave her a small smile to try to encourage her, before returning my vision back to Yuuno.

"Look, it's not up to me okay?" I attempted to reason with him.

Yuuno reached forward and handed me a business card. "Have Fate call me as soon as possible," he instructed. He then turned and walked back down the way he came from with the cameraman beside him. None of us moved until they had exited the alleyway completely.

"Are you ready to go, Teana?" I asked.

"Yeah. I'll talk to Fate and the others about him when I get back," she replied. I handed her the business card, and we parted ways with Carim and the Nakajima's before making our way to the car.

"Fate-chan's lucky to have you as her partner," I mentioned to her as we drove away from the alley.

Teana shifted gears. "She does a lot for me, too. She's always been there for me, like a big sister." She paused for a moment as we turned a corner. "Hey Nanoha... thanks for doing everything you did for her this week, by the way."

I shook my head. "I didn't do much, but I was glad to help. She deserves to be happy."

"And you?" Teana asked, glancing over at me.

"What about me?"

"You deserve to be happy too," she replied, now looking at me intently.

I laughed a little and looked away. "You're the second person to say that to me tonight. I am happy, though. I feel very fortunate here." Teana merely hummed in response and turned her attention back to the road.

"And what about you?" I ventured, alluding to her situation with Ginga's sister.

Teana narrowed her eyes a little bit. "Well, Subaru has asked me out a few times..." she began.

"But?"

"But I'm not sure if I'm willing to risk my friendship with her, since I'm not sure how I feel about her exactly," she replied, sitting up a bit straighter in the seat.

"I understand that... Not willing to risk a friendship." We let a comfortable silence fall over us, with my thoughts turning to Fate again as we drove.

"Do you have plans for tomorrow?" Teana asked as we neared my apartment complex.

"No, not at all. It's my first real day off in a while," I replied. "What about you? Are you going to be working?"

Teana suddenly smiled. "Not until the afternoon. I'm going to church in the morning with Lindy and Precia. We go every Sunday."

I stared at her in disbelief. "You do? Does Fate-chan go with you all, too?"

Teana laughed. "Does it seem like Fate would go to church?"

I leaned back in my seat and laughed a little too. "No, not at all. Huh, I haven't been to church in years..." I said fondly, as I thought about the times back in New York when I went with my family growing up.

"You are more than welcome to come with us, Nanoha?" Teana suggested. "We go to St. Mel's Church. Mass starts at ten in the morning."

"You know what...? I think I will go, Teana. That sounds really nice actually," I told her.

"I'll pick you up at nine then. I'm sure Lindy and Precia would love to meet you too," she said as she pulled up to the curb of my apartment.

I gave Teana a quick hug before I got out of the car. "Thanks, Teana. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye, Nanoha. Nine o' clock!" Teana replied.

"Nine o' clock," I confirmed as I waved goodbye to her. Teana waved back, and then shifted into gear and drove away. It was only when I was halfway up the walkway to the apartment that I realized I would be meeting Fate's mothers for the first time... without her.

"_Well, that should be interesting,_" I said to myself as entered the lobby of the apartment building, and made my way to my own small apartment to get some sleep before the next day.

* * *

**A/N:** An update should be posted soon. Until next time! ~Nissanity~


	6. Chapter 6 - Choice Bit of Calico

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters from or the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha anime, nor any other movie, actor, brand, song, or character referenced or stated in this story.

* * *

******Rum-Runner Girls**

by : ~Nissanity~

******Chapter 6 – ****__****Choice Bit of Calico**

* * *

******Fate POV **

I peered around the corner of the apartment building, having a perfect vantage point of the front doorway, while still remaining hidden from view while I waited for my prey. I signaled to Teana that I was set, and she gave me a salute in response.

_Honk, honk! _Teana squeezed the horn attached to the side of the car. I saw the curtains flutter from one of the second story windows, and Teana waved up to the person who had looked outside. I ducked back around the corner and waited for the front door of the building to open. I heard the doorknob turn a few moments later, and someone walked down the porch and out onto the front walkway.

"Hi, Teana!" I heard Nanoha greet cheerfully after a few steps.

"Hey, Nanoha," Teana replied with a smile, purposefully not looking in my direction where I was standing.

I hunched down a little bit as I exited my hiding spot behind her, making sure to step lightly before I caught up to her on the walkway. I threw my arms around her quickly before she had time to react.

"Hey, you!" I said excitedly from behind her. Nanoha screamed in surprise and tried to turn around, and her elbow hit me right in my stomach. I groaned reflexively, having the wind slightly knocked out of me with her jab.

I looked up at Nanoha with one eye open as I grinned from my hunched over state. She puffed out her cheeks a little as she pouted at me.

"I'd apologize for that, but that was actually your fault," she sulked.

I laughed. "I know, I'm sorry. I thought that would turn out better than it did."

Nanoha suddenly softened her facial expression and turned her head to one side. "Wait, why are you here, Fate-chan?"

"I'm going out to church with you guys," I announced as I stood straight up again.

"Hmmm, I feel like I'm missing something here?" she mentioned skeptically.

I started walking to the car. "Come on, I'll tell you on the way," I said as I opened the passenger side door. "You look beautiful today, by the way," I added as she climbed into the front seat.

"Thank you, Fate-chan," she replied, and I noted a hint of a smile from her as I climbed over the side of the car into the backseat. She then turned to Teana and frowned. "Don't think you're forgiven for that either," she warned her.

Teana shifted into first gear and started driving. "I told her it was a bad idea."

I leaned forward in the seat to talk to Nanoha. "So Shamal and Hayate came up with a plan last night for the reporter."

"And what's that?" Nanoha turned back to look at me.

"Yuuno's been told to come to the church today for a statement. I'm supposed to show up and say I'm repenting for all my sins, and vowing never to lead a life of crime again."

Nanoha glanced between me and Teana as she mulled the plan over. "And who's going to tell him?" she then asked.

I glanced over at Teana for assistance. "Can you help Fate out one more time, Nanoha?" Teana requested of her. "You handle Yuuno better than any of us could."

"I'm sorry to ask it of you, Nanoha," I added apologetically.

"Of course I don't mind Fate-chan, but..."

"But what?"

"You're sure you don't want to be in the papers?"

"Huh? Well, no. That's not the life for me at all," I replied.

Nanoha finally smiled a little. "Okay then, Fate-chan. I'll take care of it."

"The Yagami's are having a picnic potluck at their place after church gets out, by the way," Teana informed Nanoha. "They decided it spur of the moment last night."

"That sounds really nice!" Nanoha replied happily. "Are you coming too, Fate-chan?"

"Um, I'm not sure honestly," I said, thinking of the rum I was needing to replace as soon as possible before the club opened up again tomorrow.

"Oh." Nanoha stared down at front seat after my response, and then looked up at Teana beside her. "You're going, right?" she asked her.

Teana glanced over at her. "Oh yeah, of course," she replied. Nanoha smiled in apparent relief that one of us would be attending the picnic.

It wasn't long before we had rounded the corner and were parked in the dirt lot outside of the church. We passed by the Nakajima's Model L in the lot as we walked by. "Hey, look who's here too," I mentioned.

We spotted Carim and Ginga standing outside the church, both looking very tired and hungover. "I'm surprised you made it after last night?" Nanoha teased.

"Ginga and I have a lot to ask for forgiveness for," Carim replied with a wink.

"Where's Subaru?" Teana asked.

"We couldn't get her out of bed this morning, not matter how hard we tried," Ginga responded, and then squinted as she looked over at the church. "Yuuno is outside the front of the church waiting for you, by the way," she informed me.

Nanoha looked me over once, and smoothed the collar of my shirt. "Are you ready, Fate-chan?"

I took a deep breath. "Yep. Are you?"

Nanoha smiled. "No, not really!"

"Hey, wait a min - " I started to object, but Nanoha grabbed me by the hand and started dragging me towards the front of the church. Yuuno spotted us from halfway across the grounds and began walking towards us quickly.

"He is so strange," I muttered under my breath.

"Shhhh!" Nanoha scolded, although she was grinning as she pressed her fingers to her lips.

"Where have you been Fate? Why are you here?" he asked quickly, his pencil posed over a notepad.

"Fate-chan has been in reflection this entire week over the incident," Nanoha said loudly. "She is a completely changed woman."

"Changed how?" Yuuno countered.

"Fate-chan is a humble and wholesome Christian woman now, who is shedding her previous life in order to settle down and raise a family."

"You can't be serious?!" Yuuno replied in disbelief, letting his arms drop down to his side. "So what, no more running?"

"You _still_ accuse this woman of such treachery in front of the house of the Lord! Have you no decency, Mr. Scrya?!"

Yuuno paused and tapped his pencil on his notepad. "Well, this turn of events certainly isn't going to be of interest the readers..." he stated.

"Well then, good day to you, Sir," Nanoha replied quickly and led me away towards the church with Teana, Ginga, and Carim close behind.

"You know," Yuuno piped up from behind us, "I can't help but notice that you spend a lot of time around these 'reputable' young women, Miss...?" Nanoha glanced over her shoulder at his insinuation, and the cameraman quickly took a picture of her.

Carim spun around at the sound of the shutter. "You can be a real ass, you know that?" she growled at him. Yuuno smirked in response to the accusation, and I had to hold Teana back as she tried to approach him angrily.

"These happen to be the most incredible singers and performers in Chicago, I'll have you know," I announced calmly.

"Fate-chan, what the hell?!" Nanoha whispered to me through clenched teeth.

"Well, they certainly have the look for it..." Yuuno mused.

I looked at Ginga, who took the cue and nudged Carim forward to stand next to Nanoha. "Yep, best flapper act in town!" she added. The cameraman started taking pictures of Nanoha and Carim, as they attempted to hide their shock at the sudden turn of events.

"How about an interview then? I promise I'll be fair in it," Yuuno offered.

Nanoha paused and crossed her arms as she assessed the situation. "No last names, and no printing where we work at," she bargained after a moment.

"Six months of exclusive interviews with the Herald-Examiner?" he countered.

"_Two_ months. And you leave Fate-chan and the others alone after this. Take it or leave it."

"Deal," he replied happily. The three of them walked over to an empty patch of grass in front of the church, and Carim and Nanoha began smiling and flirting at the camera as Yuuno asked his questions. An interested crowd began to form around them as they conducted the interview.

"God, I hope they forgive us," Ginga mentioned as she shook her head.

"It'll probably take a while before they do," I replied honestly. "Well, looks like my job here is done!" I turned to walk away from the church, but a hand suddenly grasped my shoulder firmly and stopped me in place.

"Oh, no you don't!" a familiar voice came from behind me.

I spun around and smiled. "Hi, Mom," I replied as I leaned up to give my mother Lindy a kiss on the cheek. "Hello, mother," I then said to my other mother Precia, and I kissed her on the cheek as well.

Lindy pointed her finger at my nose. "We haven't seen you at church in years, young lady. And I will be God damned if you are missing it today, now that you are here."

A few nearby church-goers frowned disapprovingly at my mother's use of the Lord's name in vain, and I waved apologetically to them. "Wouldn't _dream_ of leaving now, of course," I responded.

Precia looked over at the interview in curiosity. "Is that Nanoha?" she asked. "It looks like saved your ass just now, Fate?"

"She _always_ does," Teana suddenly injected with a cold tone in her voice.

"Teana...?" I began, but Teana walked past me and headed towards the front door of the church.

"I'll find us all seats," she called over her shoulder before disappearing inside.

My mothers gave each other a curious look, and then turned to glare at me at the same time. "Is that true?" Lindy asked me.

I looked down and kicked a rock with my shoe. "Maybe?" I replied weakly.

"And what are you doing for her in return? Anything?" Precia pressed.

"I..." I started to respond, but suddenly found myself coming up short on answers. "Um..."

Lindy looked back at the church. "_Tsk_, no wonder Teana was upset," Lindy commented.

Precia flicked me on the forehead, and I glanced up at her with a frown as I rubbed the spot she just hit. "Nanoha is coming this way. You better start making it up to her right now!" she commanded.

"Ugh, that Yuuno is such a creep..." Nanoha mentioned as she approached us with her arms crossed in front of her insecurely. I noticed she wasn't looking at me directly as she walked.

"Nanoha?" I called to her when she came to stand beside me, and I gently grabbed her hand in mine. She looked up at me in surprise at the gesture. "I'm sorry that I said that Yuuno. I really am. I hope you can forgive me?"

"Oh, ah..." she stammered, before looking away at the ground again. "It's okay, Fate-chan. Carim is excited that we might be in the paper tomorrow. And Yuuno said he might be able to talk to a few people he knows from a magazine about us."

I squeezed her hand. "That's good to hear. So Nanoha, these are my mothers, Lindy and Precia. Guys, this is Nanoha. She's the new singer at the club with Carim."

Nanoha's head flew up. "Oh, I'm sorry! Hi, it's wonderful to meet you both! I'm Nanoha," she said as she shook their hands.

"It's wonderful to meet you too, Nanoha. Fate has told us a lot of wonderful things about you," Lindy replied. "Are you coming to the picnic afterward?"

Nanoha nodded. "Yes, it sounds lovely."

"And what about you, Fate?" Precia asked me, raising her eyebrows expectantly for my response.

I looked over at Nanoha, who was trying to mask the look of disappointment she had shown before when I had responded to her same question earlier.

"I wouldn't miss it for anything," I stated, and Nanoha glanced up at me again. She finally let a smile form on her lips, and I noticed her eyes seemed to gleen a little at my response.

The church bells rang out above us, signaling that mass would be beginning shortly. "That's our cue," Precia said as she turned to walk inside. Lindy followed close behind her, and I placed my hand on the small of Nanoha's back as we both entered into the church that morning.

**oOOOo**

Nanoha gasped as we pulled up to the Yagami's manor a little before noon. "Look at how pretty the tables are set up!" she exclaimed.

Teana, Nanoha, and I exited the vehicle and approached the lavish summer picnic the Yagami's had arranged for everyone on their front grounds. There were several long tables set up with white tablecloths, which contrasted against the green grass and blue sky brilliantly. Every table had several bottles of champagne in the center, and a lot of food had been prepared for the guests for lunch.

The pavillion was in the center of the setup, and it had streamers and decorative flowers placed around it. The orchestra that normally played at the club was warming up their instruments beside it.

Hayate greeted everyone as they approached. "Welcome, everyone! So glad you could make it!" she said cheerfully as she gave everyone hugs.

"What's the occasion?" I asked her.

"Oh, just a celebration of the successes of the club and other things these past few weeks," she replied.

"Yes, everyone has been working really hard lately," Shamal added as she walked up to all of us as well. "We felt it only right to show our appreciation in return."

"This is an informal gathering, so everyone just relax and enjoy yourselves," Hayate announced.

Signum sat down at a nearby table with a lunch plate. "The food is ready," she stated. Vita looked excited at her statement from nearby and ran over eagerly to the serving table.

Nanoha was chatting nearby with Teana and I went to approach her, but was stopped by Hayate and Shamal before I could reach them. "Fate, do you have a minute?" Hayate asked.

"Yes of course," I replied. The two led me over to the horseshoe court away from the tables, and Hayate picked up shoes for all of us to play. "Fifty cents to the winner each game," she said.

I looked down at my two horseshoes. "What makes you think I can play?" I asked.

Shamal gave me an incredulous look before standing in the designated spot to throw. "Yeah, right. So Fate, that was a pretty impressive thing that happened with the rum last night," she mentioned. Her horseshoes landed about seven and eight inches away from the stake after she thew them.

I looked over at Nanoha, who was now laughing and joking with Carim and Ginga as well. "It didn't happen because of me," I replied truthfully.

"Well, no shit!" Hayate commented as she threw her shoes next. "But, the fact that you kept trying until you succeeded didn't go unnoticed by us. We believe in keeping as much as we can within the family." Her first shoe landed about three inches from the stake, and a second one leaned up against it.

"What are you suggesting?" I asked as I took the throwing position next.

"We want you to supply as much of the house liquor at the club as possible," Shamal informed me. "We split the profits 50/50 of whatever is sold. How much do you think you could make?"

I paused as I absorbed the weight of their words. "A-As much as the still can produce, I suppose?" I threw my first shoe, and it knocked Hayate's leaner out of the way.

"Try to figure out how much, if you can," Shamal told me. "But! We still need you on the runs. We've already talked to the Scaglietti's today. A couple of them are looking for work, so you will be in charge of them for production. Do you think you can handle all this?"

I threw my second horseshoe, and it encircled the stake completely. "I'll do whatever it takes," I replied confidently.

Hayate childishly kicked the dirt in response to the 'ringer' I just threw, and then pulled out fifty cents from her pocket. "Fuck!" she yelled angrily as she slammed the money into my palm. Shamal laughed at her tantrum and handed me her bet as well.

The three of us played a few more rounds as we hammered out some of the details about the ingredients and how much the club went through of each liquor usually. I won all but one of the rounds of horseshoes, and I happily walked over to Nanoha afterward, who was sitting by herself at one of the tables.

"Hey," I greeted as I sat down next to her.

"Hi," she responded. "Everything go okay?"

I nodded, and then pulled out some of the money "I feel like... I should share some of this with you. For all the help that you have given me."

Nanoha looked down at the money, and then shook her head. "I don't want your money, Fate-chan."

I looked around and noticed Ginga and Carim dancing in the pavillion together, along with my two mothers and few other guests. "How about a dance then?" I asked as I stood up and extended my hand to her.

"Okay, that will work," she agreed with a smile and took it. We walked over to the pavillion, and she and I soon began to move steadily across the dance floor, similar to the other night in my apartment.

"So what did they say?" Nanoha asked, alluding to my conversation with Hayate and Shamal.

"They want me to supply as much of to the house liquor as possible for the club," I replied. Nanoha looked up at me in surprise. "I know, it's crazy, huh?"

Nanoha shook her head. "It's going to be a lot of hard work."

"They are hiring people to do the production part. I just have to supervise them, I guess."

"That's great, Fate-chan! I'm really proud of you," she replied and pulled me in closer to hug me as we danced.

I leaned my head on top of hers. "I couldn't have done it without you, you know?"

Nanoha pulled back and studied me closely. "What's gotten into you today? You're acting different."

I shrugged. "I guess I felt bad. I seemed like I was taking advantage of you or something."

"Oh." Nanoha's demeanor changed, and she pulled away from me completely. We had stopped dancing, and an air of tension fell over us.

"How about we switch dance partners?" I heard a voice suddenly asked from behind me. Carim was looking directly at me, and before I could respond Ginga began dancing with Nanoha, and I was dancing with Carim away from them.

"What the - ?" I began.

"This is the part where I get angry with you," Carim told me.

"Huh? You are? When?"

"Right now. Fate, have you never dated before or something?" she asked.

I frowned. "You know I haven't, Carim."

"Well, I have. And girls like Nanoha don't come around all that often. Actually, this is probably your one chance to be with someone incredible, and you are completely blowing it."

"Yeah, but - "

"No buts!" she chided. "Look, I'm not here to tell you how to live your life. I just want you to look around for a moment. Every person who is single here would love to be in your shoes right now with her. And at some point... Somebody else _will_ be."

I glanced around at the dozens of people who were attending the party, noting that most of them were single and around our age. I then spotted Nanoha, who was now standing near the entrance of the pavillion with Teana in front of her. Nanoha looked upset, and I watched Teana first put her hand on her shoulder, and then pulled her into a hug to comfort her.

"Hey, wait a minute," I said and began to walk away from Carim, but she stopped me when she pulled my hand back.

"Okay, don't go jumping to conclusions, Fate. Just remember that feeling right there when you think about treating Nanoha like you have been this whole time."

I left Carim to approach Teana and Nanoha, who were still hugging in front of the pavillion. I was intercepted by Shamal, who came to stand between me and them before I could reach the two.

"You guys have a run to do," she informed me as I stopped in my tracks. "Ginga, go with them please," she added, speaking loudly over my shoulder into the pavilion.

Teana glanced up when she heard Shamal's comments, and quickly pulled away from Nanoha. She then turned away from us and started walking towards the car parked out front. Shamal gave me a look of warning to behave myself before she stepped out of my path.

"Fate... chan...?" Nanoha started, and she looked like she was about to cry.

"I've got to go," I replied quietly, knowing that anything I said to her now would most likely only make the situation worse.

I glanced back once to see my mothers approaching Nanoha to speak with her, and I silently walked to the car behind Teana. Ginga jumped into the backseat and sat in the middle, looking everywhere but at the two of us as we approached. We both slammed the doors shut as we entered the vehicle. Teana started the car and quickly shifted into first gear.

The three of us stayed in tense silence until we had exited the Yagami's property. Once we were on the road, Ginga was the first to speak up from the backseat.

"You guys need to work this out..." she started.

"There is nothing to work out," Teana growled.

I stared at her. "Really? Nothing, Teana?"

Teana immediately pulled the car over into an empty lot on our right and parked the car. She jumped out of the driver's side, and I exited the passenger door. Ginga was out of the backseat right afterward.

"What are you accusing me of, huh? Just say it!" Teana shouted as she rounded the front of the vehicle.

"I know what I saw, Teana."

"You don't know anything!" she yelled, and then took me by surprise by shoving me hard on my shoulders. I stepped backwards, and Ginga stood between us.

"That's enough, Teana!" she yelled.

"That's for accusing me of ever doing something like that you, Fate," she yelled as she pointed at me. "You treat Nanoha like shit! And when I'm there to pick up the pieces as her friend, I have to hear this from you on top of it?"

"I don't treat her like that!" I countered. "And don't give me that bullshit that you just want to be friends with her."

Teana threw her hands up in the air. "And what do you care, Fate? Seriously? You don't want her. You said it yourself, right after you fucked her and then forgot about her."

I stopped cold, and my voice caught in my throat at her accusation. Ginga looked down at the ground, and then over to me, as if in agreement with the statement.

"I didn't - " I tried.

Teana laughed bitterly and shook her head in frustration. "You know what? You're right, Fate. I am attracted to her," she admitted, her voice now quieter. "But I'm also not an idiot. I wouldn't do something like that to you, no matter what you did. And not when she is already in love with you."

Teana walked back to the driver's side door and got in, and I started to approach the passenger side. She looked up at me before I could open the door. "You should go back to Hayate's and talk to Nanoha, Fate."

I let go of the door handle and stepped back, allowing Ginga to take my place in the seat.

"I would drive you back, but we have this run to do," Teana added, her voice still a little resentful towards me.

"Good luck, Fate," Ginga called as they drove away. I watched them leave, a cloud of dust billowing around me as I stood in the empty lot. It took me a moment to find my resolve, before I began jogging down the road back to Hayate's manor. I made my way up the long driveway and back to the party within ten minutes.

Shamal was the first to spot me approaching. "That didn't take long," she mentioned when she saw me.

"Where's Nanoha?" I asked.

"She left. Your mothers offered to drive her home a few minutes ago," Hayate chimed in from the head table.

I groaned in frustration. "Alright, then." I turned to start running again down the driveway.

"Fate, stop right there," Shamal instructed. "As much fun as it would be to watch you run all around Chicago, I'll just give you a ride over there, okay?"

"Okay, thank you," I replied. Shamal went inside the manor to retrieve her keys, and soon exited the front door and heading towards the cars parked out front.

"We'll take the Essex," she said, pointing to the red car and black vehicle with the top down. She and I entered it, and I gave her instructions of where Nanoha lived.

"You're going to fix this, right?" Shamal asked when we were driving on the road.

"I'm going to try."

"Good. We try not to get too involved in you girls' personal lives, but this could affect business. And we'll be damned if we are going to lose Nanoha over something like this."

"I understand," I said and looked out the side of the car. "I don't want to lose her either."

Shamal and I rode the rest of the journey in silence, and I contemplated what I was going to say to Nanoha during the trip. I knew a simple apology wasn't going to be sufficient, nor would it be fair to her. When Shamal pulled up to the curb in front of the building, I noticed Nanoha's window was open, which it had not been when we left that morning for church.

"You're back on runs tomorrow," Shamal reminded me. "And I have the Scaglietti girls coming to the club at nine to meet you, so make sure you are there, okay?"

"I will be," I assured her as I got out of the car. "Thanks for everything."

"Alright, go!" Shamal commanded and shooed me off with her hand.

I turned to jog down the front walk way, and I was thankful to find the front door of the apartment still unlocked during the afternoon. I climbed the stairs, and I took my best guess of which second story door would be Nanoha's. I knocked and listened closely, and soon heard rustling coming from inside.

"Just a minute!" Nanoha's voice called out, and a moment later I heard her approach the door. She slid the peephole open, and her sapphire eyes looked both surprised and saddened when she saw it was me. I took off my hat and waved to her, and she shut the peephole and unlocked the door in response.

Nanoha held the door partly open and placed her hand on the door frame, and then leaned against it as she looked at me silently. I noticed her legs were blocking two cats behind her from escaping through the door.

"Hi," I greeted softly.

Nanoha continued to only study me, her fingers tapping the doorway in contemplation of my presence. I realized I was twirling my hat in my hands nervously under her intense gaze.

I took a deep breath. "Look, Nanoha... can we talk?" I requested.

* * *

**A/N:** I'm not sure what which story I'm updating next, but something is coming again soon as always. Until then! ~Nissanity~


	7. Chapter 7 - To Carry a Torch

**A/N: **Another **NSFW** chapter, just an heads up :)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters from or the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha anime, nor any other movie, actor, brand, song, or character referenced or stated in this story.

* * *

******Rum-Runner Girls**

by : ~Nissanity~

******Chapter 7 – ****__****To Carry a Torch**

* * *

******Nanoha POV **

"Look, Nanoha... can we talk?" Fate asked.

I exhaled a little bit in frustration, and then turned around to ensure my two cats, Oliver and King, were not about to dart out the door between my legs. "Stay back, guys," I instructed as I opened the door to let Fate into my apartment. The two cats backed away and hid under my table with the unfamiliar person making entry into their home.

Fate looked around my apartment. "Wow, you are a lot better decorator than me," she mentioned.

I crossed my arms and leaned back against the table. I only watched Fate silently, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of an answer just yet. Her eyes eventually came to meet mine after a moment, and she twirled her hat in her hand, the tension in the room now measurable.

"So, you wanted to talk?" I finally asked.

Fate nodded and looked off to the side. "Yeah...um, I guess I messed up, huh?"

"Are you here to apologize?"

"Yes."

I uncrossed my arms, and placed the palms of my hands on the table edge as I leaned forward. "For what?"

Fate glanced up at me. "For hurting you."

I nodded. "Okay then, you're forgiven. You can let yourself out," I replied as I pointed to the door.

"Nanoha!" Fate's arms dropped to her side as she let out an exasperated breath.

I threw my hands up in the air. "Well, what do you want me to say instead?"

"You're still mad at me."

"Look, I'm not mad at you, okay? Frustrated, yes. But not angry."

Fate looked confused. "You're not mad?"

I took a breath and stared at the ground. "You don't want anything with me. Not like what I want with you. And that's fine. I can't be upset with you for that, now can I?"

"But it's not like that," Fate countered as she took a step toward me.

I looked up and narrowed my eyes at her. "See, right there. That's why I'm frustrated with you! You say and do things that make me think one thing, and then all of a sudden you're not interested. Or, you meant something else than what I thought you did. I can't handle that anymore."

Fate nodded and held out her arms. "You deserve to be treated better than that," she acknowledged.

"You're right. I do deserve better. But not by you, right?"

She paused and looked at the ground. "I can't give you what you want," she finally replied quietly.

I walked towards her and bent down, forcing her eyes to meet mine. She raised her head up in response. "And what is it I want from you exactly, Fate-chan? Hmm? Did you even bother to ask me that?"

Fate remained silent as she weighed my words. I stepped away and turned my back to her, and stood next to my table again. I rapped my knuckles against the surface, the tension between the two of us continuing to escalate to the point it was almost unbearable.

"What makes me the most upset," I continued, "is how different you treat me from everyone else. I know you say you want to be friends, but I don't feel like you actually do."

"You think I don't treat you like a friend?" she asked.

I spun around. "What kind of friend has sex with someone and then ignores them for four days? I had to find out how you really felt about us from someone else, because you couldn't even be bothered to tell me yourself. I don't think a friendship like that is fair, do you?"

Fate exhaled. "I was trying not to complicate things."

I rubbed my eyes in exasperation and then dropped my hands. "Okay, obviously I'm making too much out of this. We will just be friends, and I'll find someone else eventually. There's the solution."

I began walking to the front door to let Fate out of my apartment, but as I was passing by her, she grabbed me by the arm to stop me before I could. Her expression now showed a bit of resentment as she stared at me intently.

"What?!" I asked heatedly.

"Someone else... like Teana?"

I stared back at her, searching her eyes in surprise at the accusation. I had only seen Fate look at me like that once before, when she mistakenly thought I was married the first night we met.

"And what if I was interested in her?" I challenged. I felt her hand clench a little bit more against my arm in response to the question.

"Maybe I'll just call her after you leave?" I continued to press. "Invite her over for a drink and see what happens. Something like that? You don't have a problem with that, right?"

Fate let go of my arm in shock and contempt. I instantly regretted using Teana in the argument, although I knew I had gotten my point across.

"I don't know what you want from me?" I continued. "I can't seem to win here with you."

"It's just... I don't know either, alright? I'm not trying to make this difficult. I wasn't ready to feel this way about someone is all."

"Well, this is a pretty chicken-shit way of dealing with it, don't you think? Either grow up and accept the way you feel like an adult, or just let me go. But I'm not going to fight with you anymore over this. I'm done."

Fate remained silent once again as she stared at me, and I felt tears of frustration start to form in the corners of my eyes.

"Ugh! I don't cry, Fate-chan," I said bitterly as I wiped my eyes and looked away. "I just can't stand all of this."

Fate softened her stance and reached a tentative hand up to my cheek, brushing away a tear with her thumb. "I'm sorry, Nanoha. I didn't mean to make you cry."

I put my hand on her outstretched arm and met her burgundy eyes, finding her expression to be the more calm and gentle one the I found so endearing. The tension between us seemed to lessen considerably, and Fate pulled me into her and embraced me in a hug. I gave thought to pushing her away from me, but instead placed my head on her shoulder and let her hold me for a moment. I felt the walls I had been trying to erect against her for the past week begin to crumble all around me.

"You should go," I said into her shirt.

"Do you want me to go?" she asked next to my ear.

I pulled back to look up at her. "No," I replied. "But I need you to, if we are just going to be friends."

Fate's burgundy eyes shifted between my lips and my eyes as I held my breath. Her hands cupped my head behind my ears, and she leaned down and pressed her open lips to mine softly. I let her gently grab my bottom lip between hers before she released it again. I then kissed her back, both of us slowly moving our lips across each others.

I wrapped my arms around her neck to pull her into the kiss more. Her arms wrapped around my back, and her hand trailed between my shoulder blades and cupped my head above my neck. It eventually found it's way into my hair, letting my shorter locks slide in between her fingers.

All walls completely shattered, and I was unable to contain my desire for the woman in front of me any longer. I reached down and started unbutton her vest, and then her dress shirt underneath, while her lips and tongue continued to dance with mine. I untucked the ends from her pants, finished unbuttoning it, and slid the shirt and vest off from over her shoulders. Fate removed them completely, and I smoothed my hands over the skin of her well-toned shoulders and chest, which were still clad in the white muscle shirt.

Fate's hands reached down for the hem of my white church dress, and she gently pulled it up and over my head, revealing just my slip and garter belts holding my stockings in place. I unbuttoned her pants and let them fall to floor around her ankles, her boxers still remaining in place. She kicked off her shoes and pants, and stepped towards me as she walked out of them. I pulled down to kiss me again and started walking backwards, guiding both of us across the room to my bed in the corner.

I first allowed Fate to be on top of me, relishing her open-mouthed kisses along my neck and along my chest as I wrapped my legs around her waist. I then guided her to lay on her back on the bed and straddled her waist. I took her hands into mine and pushed them into the bed, pinning her beneath me.

"Fate-chan..." I began. "Stop fighting this from now on. Stop fighting _us_." Fate's eyes showed a mixture of concern and apprehension as she searched my face after my statement, and I leaned in closer to her.

"I'm not here to hold you back, or to change who you are. I just want to be by your side through everything, alright?"

Fate paused, and then nodded. "Okay, Nanoha," she replied softly.

I leaned back to sit on her waist again, and pulled her up by her shirt into a sitting position. I removed her muscle shirt, and then unbuttoned her side-lacer bra she used to help flatten her chest.

Fate removed my slip, and then traced her thumbs along my garter belts. She moved her arms underneath my thighs as she leaned back against the pillow again, coaxing my hips forward.

I understood what she wanted me to do, so I crawled up the bed until I was closer to her face. She placed her hands around my waist, and I slowly lowered myself onto her mouth as she guided my hips.

"Ahn!" I moaned when I felt her tongue enter between my folds, first running itself along my slit to collect the wetness that had already escaped me. She then moved up to find my sensitive nub, her eyes meeting mine as she began to press her tongue against it.

I gripped my hand on the top of the iron headrest, and placed the other on her head, as her tongue continued to flick and press against me. "Mmnn," I groaned from deep in my chest as Fate's hands made their way to my breasts above her, rolling and pulling my nipples in her fingertips.

"Oh, god..." I whimpered. "This feels... too...Ah! Right there..." I removed my hand from the headrest and placed it on top of her head as well, trying to steady my hips against her face and tongue as I began to tremble and shake above her.

I could only hold still for so long before my hips began to move in rhythm with her tongue's ministrations. Fate seemed determined to have me finish in her mouth, and her hands gripped my waist as she moved her tongue faster. I was moaning incoherently at this point, pushing her head into the pillow as I felt myself climaxing.

"Don't stopppp..." I begged as Fate continued to push me closer to the edge.

Fate moved her hand underneath me, and she quickly inserted two fingers inside. My eyes shot open at the sudden intrusion. "FATE!" I yelled as I came almost immediately.

My back arched as I clamped on her fingers and twitched in her mouth, with her tongue pressed firmly against my clit. I jerked a few times as rode out the tremors and aftershocks above her. She remained motionless as she watched me, her eyes glazed over in her own satisfaction, as she let me recover from the pleasure she had given to me.

I crumbled onto the bed next to her, my breath shallow and my heart racing. The cool summer breeze from the open window was flowing over my sweaty skin, and I enjoyed the sensation of it washing over me in intermittent waves.

I turned to Fate and pulled her to kiss me again, and I moaned when her tongue entered my mouth again and realized I was now experiencing my own taste. The notion overwhelmed my senses, and I pushed her back down on the bed and laid on top of her, immediately aroused again. I placed my elbows on the side of her head and kissed her deeply, both of us panting as she pulled me against her tighter.

"Nanoha..." she whispered as I moved away from her lips and trailed my mouth down to her breasts. My teeth grazed over a nipple, before I sucked and rolled my tongue around it. I then turned my attention to her other peak, and Fate intently watched me nibble and kiss it for a moment, before I trailed my mouth between her breasts and down her stomach.

Her hands were resting on my shoulders as I explored her body, kissing and sucking on the smooth skin of her abdomen, before running my tongue in and around her belly button. I cupped my thumbs into the waistband of her boxers, and she lifted her hips off the bed to let me remove them.

I leaned against Fate on the bed and kissed her again, this time gliding my hand along her stomach and down to touch her clit lightly. She gasped as I circled and pressed her nub, and her thighs clenched and rubbed together at the stimulation. Fate then held her breath as I moved my hand down her folds farther, and I inserted my finger inside her slowly.

"Are you okay?" I asked softly as she held me close, her arms clenching tightly around my back.

"Yes, it feels good... Ahh..." she moaned when I started moving my finger in and out of her. I knew I may have been hurting her a little, so I kissed her again to help distract her from the initial pain she might experiencing. When I felt her hips start to move in rhythm with my thrusts, I entered a second finger inside of her.

"Oh... god..." she breathed beneath me, and I felt Fate's legs move apart so that I could push my fingers deeper into her. I curled them to rub her rough patch of nerves inside of her, and Fate groaned in my ear when I pressed my thumb against her clit at the same time.

I moved away from beside her and turned my mouth's attention to between her legs, my desire to taste her overtaking me. I moved my thumb and immediately replaced it with my tongue against her swollen flesh, causing Fate to buck her hips a little. "Ahn... mmm!" Fate cried as I flicked and sucked on her bundle of nerves.

Fate's hand gripped mine on the bed as I steadily brought her to her peak, and she ran her fingers through my hair with her free hand. "Oh god..." she repeated, her legs bent beside my head as she rocked on the bed, the momentum of my hand entering and exiting her quickly.

"I'm... going... to - " was all Fate could get out before I tasted her climax in my mouth. She tensed up completely, her toes curling around the sheets as her inner walls clamped tightly around my fingers. Her head was pressed back against the pillow, and her eyes squeezed shut in ecstasy as she came.

I moved to lay on top of her again after her body relaxed, and I kissed her as she trembled and breathed raggedly beside me. I pressed my forehead to hers and caressed my hand on her cheek. "Don't ever let me go, Fate-chan," I said softly.

Fate brought her arms around my neck to embrace me and nodded at my statement. "I won't, Nanoha," she replied, her face buried in my shoulder.

I pulled the sheet up and over us, and I cuddled up next to her. We talked and laughed together, and made love several times that evening. I couldn't remember exactly when I fell asleep, but I didn't wake at all until early the next morning.

I looked over and found the spot Fate had occupied the night before now empty. I sat up and curled my knees to my chest as I stared at the space, the sheet covering up to my waist. King took the opportunity to jump on the bed and greet me now that I was awake. I petted him as he purred and walked around in front of me.

"I guess some things will never change, huh?" I mentioned to him. I bit my thumbnail as I stared at the bed, contemplating what to do next in this situation, if anything. I then stood up beside the bed and put my slip back on. I heard footsteps outside my door, but dismissed them as the neighbor who usually left around that time of the morning.

I was surprised when the doorknob to my apartment turned, and the door began to open slowly. Fate entered into the apartment quietly, holding a paper bag with food in it. She jumped a little when she turned around and saw me standing by the bed.

"Oh! Ha, sorry. Hey, I have to go soon Nanoha, but I thought I would get something to make for breakfast first. I got us some bread for toast, and a few eggs, and... Wait, what's wrong?"

I realized I must have been staring at her in shock and disbelief at her reappearance. I shook my head quickly, and then smiled and ran across the room to her. I threw my arms around my neck to hug her, and she laughed a little and held me around the waist.

"I'm sorry. I probably made you worry huh? I didn't mean to," she tried to reassured me.

"It's okay," I replied. "I shouldn't have doubted you." I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and walked into the kitchen to get the skillet. I turned on the stove, and she walked over with the eggs and a block of bacon. She set them beside me on the counter, and then hugged me from behind around the waist.

"I could get used to this," she mentioned, kissing me once on the neck before pulling away a little.

I glanced over my shoulder at her. "Maybe you should?" I said with a smile. I cooked breakfast while she fed the cats and made the bed. We enjoyed our little time we had left together, before she had to leave to meet Shamal at the club at nine o'clock that morning.

**oOOOo**

**Fate POV**

"I'll try to see you tonight at the club, okay?" I told Nanoha.

"Okay, Fate-chan," she replied as she leaned against the door frame. I kissed her goodbye one last time and then turned to walk down the hallway. I hopped down the stairs and out of the front door of the apartment building, and stopped dead in my tracks when I saw Teana and the Model L parked outside the apartment.

I walked towards the car, a wave of nervousness washing over me. Teana was staring at me as I approached, her expression unreadable. "Hey," I said when I reached the side of the car. "How did you know I was here?"

"You weren't at your apartment. I figured this is the only other place you could be," she replied.

"Oh, okay." I opened the door and got in, and Teana turned around to look behind her before pulling out onto the street.

"I wanted to apologize," she said after a moment. "I overreacted yesterday to everything."

I shook my head. "I deserved it. I was been selfish and inconsiderate to everyone."

"Maybe," she replied, and I saw a grin creep up at the corners of her mouth. "But I could have been nicer about it. And I shouldn't have shoved you. That was too much."

"Look, Teana - " I began.

Teana held up her hand to stop me. "If it is about Nanoha, then don't. All I want is for her to be happy. And you, too. I talked a lot with Ginga last night, and she helped me realize some of my own issues. Why I was reacting the way I was."

"And why's that?" I asked.

We stopped at an intersection, and she looked over at me. "Because I was jealous. Not of Nanoha so much, but more of you. For having someone incredible wanting you like that, and you just blowing it off."

"I know it doesn't make up for it, but I'm sorry I behaved like that, Teana. I really am."

Teana shifted into first gear and we started moving down the road again. "Well, the ironic thing is... I've actually been doing the exact same thing you were doing to Nanoha, but for even longer now."

I paused for a moment, and then nodded my head in realization. "Subaru."

"I've never been willing to consider it before, you know? Because I was afraid of risking my friendship with her. But how fair is that to her, right? To not even give her a chance out of fear of what could happen."

"So what are you going to do?"

Teana shrugged. "I'll probably try to open up to her more. Maybe go out with her when she offers? I don't want to rush into it, and I doubt anything will come from it anyway. But I can at least give her a chance."

We pulled into the alleyway of the club. "I guess that's all any of us can do," I replied. "So, are we good?"

Teana nodded and smacked me on the back of the head. "Yeah, we're good."

We entered into the backdoor of the club and walked through the hallway to the office, and we knocked on the door. "Come in!" Shamal called from inside.

Teana opened the door, and we found two of the girls from the Scaglietti family, Nove and Dieci, in the office with her. They stood up and shook our hands as we entered.

"Girls, you all know each other of course," Shamal said. "I've been telling Nove and Dieci what their job would entail, and what they would be paid. But scheduling them and showing them what to do exactly will be up to you, Fate."

"No problem," I replied. "I have something for them to start with today, and Teana and I can pick up more supplies while they are doing it."

Shamal reached into her pocket and pulled out some money. She handed me two folded up five dollar bills. "Start with this. Just bring me a receipt."

"Sounds good!" I replied. The four us began to walk out the door, but Shamal suddenly grabbed me by the collar and pulled me back into the room. I stumbled backwards a little before turning to face her.

"Did you fix things with Nanoha yet?" she asked me quietly.

"Yeah, I think so," I replied.

"Good. Has she seen the newspaper article this morning?"

I paused. "Oh, right, I forgot about that. No, not that I know of. Is it bad?"

"No, it's not bad. In fact, it's the exact opposite. Hayate has been on the phone all morning with people trying to talk to her and Carim."

I smiled. "That's great!"

Shamal shook her head. "Well yes. Good for them, maybe. But possibly bad for us. We'll try to keep them happy here as long as we can, and hope something doesn't come along too tempting for them to want to leave us."

"L-Leave us?" I responded. "Nanoha wouldn't do that!"

Shamal raised her eyebrows at me. "You think you're the only one with hopes and dreams, kiddo?" she replied. She then placed her hand on my shoulder. "Look, you opened the door for her, Fate. Now all you can do is support her, no matter what happens."

"Yeah, but that's not - " I tried.

"Are you ready to go, Fate?" Teana popped her head back in to the doorway.

I stared at Shamal in disbelief as I backed away from her. She tried to give me a sympathetic look, but I just turned away and started walking down the hallway. "Here, Teana. Give this to Fate," I heard Shamal say from behind me. I walked out the door and into the alleyway, immediately lighting a cigarette to try to calm my nerves. Nove and Dieci kept their distance when they observed my demeanor.

Teana exited the door shortly after with a newspaper in hand. "Fate, Shamal wanted you to have this," she said as she handed it to me.

I opened up the folded paper, and in the same section as before where my article was, I spotted a picture of Nanoha and Carim posing in front of the church. The title read "_THE SWEETEST LITTLE SINNERS."_ The article went on to describe how Nanoha and Carim led a double-life, between activities like church and picnics during the day, to performing at a racy, alcohol-fueled speakeasy at night. There was a lot of hinting that they were part of an organized crime circuit.

"What a fucking creep," I muttered to Teana, who was reading it over my shoulder with me.

"Wow, he really made them sound, um... kinda sexy and dangerous," Teana said with a blush. I hit her in the chest with the folded newspaper, and she grabbed it reflexively in her hands.

I flicked my cigarette away, and began walking to the car. "What are you going to do?" she asked behind me.

"What am I going to do?" I repeated. "Well, nothing."

"Nothing?"

I looked over my shoulder at her. "It's not my place. I will stand beside her and support her no matter what happens. But I'm not going to hold her back from something better that might come along."

"That's actually pretty mature, Fate. I'm surprised." Teana opened the driver's side door, and Nove and Dieci climbed into the backseat.

"Yeah, yeah. Smartass," I replied as I got in the vehicle last. "Well, we will just have to cross that bridge when we get there. But for now... we all have work to do."

* * *

**A/N:** There will be a timeskip of three months after this, putting us into late September – early October of 1923. Until next time! ~Nissanity~


	8. Chapter 8 - Get a Wiggle On

**A/N: **I decided it was time to pick up this story again. My apologies for the delay in updating this one, but it was another case of not knowing where the story should go exactly. A few readers have mentioned in reviews elsewhere that they missed when I wrote pure NanoFate, and they are absolutely right. I've already written four more chapters after this, and I will update with them after they have been proofread and finalized.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters from or the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha anime, nor any other movie, actor, brand, song, or character referenced or stated in this story.

* * *

******Rum-Runner Girls**

by : ~Nissanity~

******Chapter 8 – ****__****Get a Wiggle On**

* * *

_~October, 1923~_

**Fate POV **

Life has a interesting way of presenting you with opportunities that test your character and resolve, even though failure to succeed is not really an option if you decide you can't do it. That was a thought I had mulled over often over the course of the past three months. When Shamal and Hayate offered me the chance to provide all the house liquor for The Orchid Lounge, I thought I had finally arrived and everything would be smooth sailing from here on out. Little did I know that the most difficult journey of my life was actually just beginning.

Unexpectedly long days usually turned into endless nights of stoking fires and making new mashes. The equipment would often break down, and I soon learned how to fix parts in creative ways one would never think possible. The profits were minimal in comparison to the amount of work and cost of repairs necessary, but at the end of the day I did feel a sense of satisfaction knowing that I was at least pursuing some sort of goal in life.

I still continued to do runs with Teana with the same frequency as before on top of it. We were now running almost nothing but brand-name liquor, usually imported illegally from Canada. The demand for all types of alcohol, both premium and house, steadily grew as the club's two new star performers became increasingly popular throughout Chicago.

Nanoha suffered the most in the beginning with my unpredictable hours, leaving her guessing if and when she could spend time with me. Fortunately for her, she and Carim were now finding new fame and glory with modeling offers coming in almost daily for them. They had kept their word to Yuuno from _The Herald Examiner_ that they would only do exclusive work with him for two months, but once that agreement had lapsed the demand for their time and attention exploded. It seemed their unavailability for so long only fueled the desire to pursue them once they were free to do so. Our time together became less and less frequent over the past few months, although we both tried to be understanding and supportive of each others changing lives.

"How far along are you guys coming with the whiskey batch?" I asked Nove as I removed my hat to wipe the sweat from my forehead. The weather outside was turning cold and wet that Saturday morning, causing the basement where we worked to become steamy and muggy inside.

"We will have to replace the mash soon. It's about used up," she said as she continually stoked the coal fire under the still.

I groaned internally, although I didn't want to let on that I didn't have the time or energy to make yet another trip to the general store for ingredients. "Alright, I'll make sure you guys have what you need by Monday since you're off tomorrow," I assured her and Dieci as I began to climb the basement stairs.

"We finished the rum order already. You'll probably want to take it to the club soon so that we can have the containers back for the next batch," Dieci then said.

"Got it. Nanoha is stopping by for a little bit. I'll run it after we get back." I exited through the basement door and leaned my back against it once it was shut. I then fished the pack of cigarettes out of my front pocket and fumbled for my lighter. Once I had one lit, I took a long drag before closing my eyes and resting my head against the door.

"Fate-chan...?" I heard a voice suddenly say in front of me.

"Hmm?" I muttered as my eyes popped open again. Before me was a set of brilliant sapphire eyes staring at me with genuine concern. I glanced down and found the cigarette that was in my hand a second ago was now between Nanoha's fingers. She took a drag from it while she studied me closely.

"Nanoha!" I cried out and reached out to hug her to me. Nanoha giggled at my sudden reaction to her presence and returned the embrace happily.

"Nyahaha! I think you feel asleep standing up, Fate-chan." She kissed me on the cheek once and then pulled away to face me again.

"It's been a really long week," I replied. I rose up from the door and reached for her hand to lead her to my apartment at the end of the hallway.

"More like a long _month_," she corrected me. "I feel like I hardly see you anymore."

I turned around to face her while still walking backwards. "I'm sorry, Nanoha. But you've been pretty busy too, right?" I noticed she was holding a package wrapped in brown paper under one of her arms.

"Yep! I wanted to show you what they let me take home from my modeling gig yesterday."

"Which catalog was that for again?" I asked as I unlocked my apartment door to let us both inside.

"Sears-Roebuck."

"That's right. I forgot," I said as I shut the door behind me. "You and Carim have had so many jobs lately."

"Um-hmm, now that we aren't stuck doing those stupid interviews with Yuuno anymore."

I leaned against the dining room table and pulled her close to me. "So, is there anything you wanted to do today?"

"Well, we're not going anywhere until you take a shower," she said and touched me on the nose playfully.

I grimaced as she pulled away. "Sorry. I can't even imagine what I smell like right now. I've been downstairs all night."

Nanoha frowned with the look of concern again. "Maybe you're working too hard, Fate-chan?"

"There's no such thing. But it will get better soon. It has to," I assured her.

"Okay..." she agreed reluctantly. She began to pull me towards the bathroom door using the tie hanging loosely around my neck. I clumsily pulled off my shoes and vest as she drug me across the room.

"You can put on a record while you wait if you'd like? I won't be too long," I told her in the doorway leading to the bathroom.

"We'll see. You just get in the shower already."

"Okay, I'll see you soon," I said as she pushed me inside and closed the bathroom door. I shook my head and slapped my cheeks a few times in an attempt to wake myself up for the day ahead with her. I decided to leave my remaining soiled clothing in a pile on the floor before turning on the facets in the shower. As soon as the temperature of the water became ideal, I stepped inside and could immediately feel layers of grime and sweat washing away down the drain.

I heard the bathroom door open up again about a minute later. "Is that you, Nanoha?" I asked.

"Who else would it be, Fate-chan?" she replied with a hint of playful sarcasm. "I was just coming in to take these clothes away. I wanted to make sure you didn't try to put them back on again."

"Thank you! I have another set of clean clothes hanging up that I was going to wear instead."

I was letting the water cascade over my face and hair when I heard the shower curtain slide open behind me. I turned slightly and was surprised to see Nanoha now standing behind me, wearing nothing but a smile. She entered into the shower and shut the curtain again.

"Nanoha, what are you doing?" I asked over my shoulder. She wrapped her warm arms around my waist in response.

"Just making sure you take care of yourself," she replied. I felt her then kiss my shoulder a few times before leaning her head against my back.

"I appreciate your concern. You should stand under the water. I don't want you to get cold or anything."

"In a minute," she replied and instead reached over to grab the bar of soap resting in the rack under the rails of my rib shower. This was the first time she and I had showered together at my apartment. We usually spent our rare moments alone together at her place. Her apartment was much nicer and was equipped with a bathtub as well, unlike mine that only had the freestanding shower.

"That tickles," I laughed as she rubbed soapy hands along my back and down my sides.

"Do you want me to stop?" she asked as she moved her hands around to my stomach.

I shook my head and gripped the bars in front of me. "No, not at all." I moaned slightly when I felt her press her naked body harder against my back.

"Good, because I wasn't going to anyway."

"Aha! Aah..." I gasped when I felt her take my breast in her hand and run her thumb along its sensitive tip. I moved my hand to grip her thigh to keep her pressed up against to me. It had been a long time since I had felt her soft skin against mine and I was more than eager to be able to touch her as well.

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. Let me take care of you first," she said as she slid her hand down the smooth skin of my abdomen. She moved my long hair out of the way to press her lips against my neck intimately. I felt her begin to caress me gently between my legs at the same time, sending a shock wave of arousal through me that made my knees almost buckle.

"Nanoha..." Every stroke and flick of her fingers sent the blood roaring through my veins and clouded my vision before me. It was too good. Too long overdue. I continued to shift restlessly under her touch as I struggled to remain standing. I eventually dropped to my knees to the tile flooring with Nanoha still clinging to me.

"Fate... cha... Are you okay?"" she whispered fervently as she continued to guide me to the first wave of pleasure.

I nodded and whimpered as she pushed her fingers against me harder. I held my breath in anticipation when I felt her move her hand away to position behind me. She enter inside me in one motion, causing me to cry out in a mixture of pleasure and need. "Oh god, Nanoha..." I moaned as I ground myself against her hand.

I could feel Nanoha's soft lips pressed against my back and between my shoulder blades as she held me close to her. I was vaguely aware of the water cascading over both of us as I lost myself completely in her touch. For those few moments, the only thing I knew in my world was the sensations she caused with her consistent movements inside of me. I bit my lip to hold back the screams of pleasures as the ripples of ecstasy eventually flooded over me.

I had just caught my breath before I found my hands exploring her next. Nanoha's body arched and shuddered with her back against the wall, she too lost in the haze of arousal and desire.

"Fate-chan, please...?" she pleaded. I moved my mouth to her breasts and sucked and licked each peak hungrily. She gasped and slid her hands through my tangled hair to guide me where she needed me most. My lips trailed a path down her stomach as she led me between her legs, and I responded with intimate strokes of my tongue.

"Oh god... right there!" she said as her thighs clenched around my ears. My tender persistence continued until I felt her entire body become rigid beneath me. She lost control and kicked and convulsed from an overpowering release. I grasped her waist in my hands to draw her out another time, although she hadn't anticipated my resolve to bring her to climax again.

"Don't stop," she muttered hoarsely once she felt the second wave coming. I ran my tongue along her swollen nerves until she was close again. I finally moved my hand to enter inside of her, causing her to lose her last shreds of self-control. I moaned in satisfaction as when name escaped her lips repeatedly and echoed loudly across the bathroom walls.

"That was intense..." Nanoha said breathlessly and collapsed into my arms afterward. I pushed hair and water away from my face and laughed a little as I supported her against me.

"Yeah, it was. Maybe we shouldn't go so long next time?" I replied.

"I wouldn't object to that. There has to be a better way than this."

"You mean, better than us having sex in one of our bathrooms every few weeks? I don't know, it almost seems romantic?"

"Fate-chan..." she sulked.

I stood up from the floor and helped Nanoha to her feet before turning the water off. "I'm not sure what to say, honestly? Our schedules are so busy right now."

"I know," she replied as we exited the shower, with both of us wrapping white cotton towels around our bodies. I placed my hair back into its usual low ponytail. She replaced the barrettes in her short hair again. "I just wish there was more that I could do to help you out somehow," she added.

"Help me out? I'm not sure how you would? Besides, you need to worry about yourself too. I doubt you're getting enough sleep between performing at night and all these extra jobs."

"Is this just a bad time for us to be in a relationship?" she then asked with a heavy sigh. I turned to face her and tried to mask my disappointment at the statement.

"Do you think it is?"

Although the notion had crossed my mind a few times over the months, any inkling of losing her usually pushed those thoughts away on my end. Nanoha had been the unwavering rock between the two of us as we both pursued our goals in life. Now with her questioning the timing of our relationship, I was tempted to let those thoughts of doubt that had been hanging around the edges of my mind creep in as well.

"I'm worried that I'm taking you away from what you need to do," she said. "Like right now, for example. I'm sure there is something else more important that you could be doing. Or maybe sleeping a little?"

I shook my head and strengthened my resolve. "No, the most important thing right now is us being here together," I tried to assure her as I pulled her closer to me. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. I'd rather spend time with you when I can."

"Okay," she replied with her face buried in my chest. She allowed me to hold her for a few moments before she pulled away. "Oh, I forgot to show you what they gave me yesterday." She turned away from me to retrieve the brown paper bag she had left by the front doorway earlier.

I walked over to the closet and pulled out the clean suit from inside while she open up the package. After placing the clothing on the bed, I turned around and found her wearing a feminine brown trenchcoat over her white towel. "Wow, that looks really... expensive! They really just gave that to you?" I asked.

She smiled and nodded excitedly. "Yep! Carim got one, too. They said it was because she and I did such a good job. Just in time for winter, right?"

I approached her across the room again and wrapped my arms around her underneath the coat. "Well, you look beautiful in it, Nanoha."

Nanoha pressed her lips to mine in response, first gently as I felt her hand trail up my shoulder to the back of my neck. I allowed myself to be lost in the moment again with her as we parted lips and moved against each others mouths eagerly. As I clung to her, I could feel the words welling up inside me that I knew had been lying it wait for quite some time. Maybe even since the first time I had met her.

"Nanoha...?"

"Yes, Fate-chan?"

I closed my eyes and rested my forehead against hers. "I think I'm in - "

The sound of a car horn honking outside my window pulled me away from my haze and sent me crashing back to earth in an instant. I smiled apologetically when she pouted at me for allowing the interruption of our moment. I let Nanoha go and crossed the room to look out the window where the sound was coming from. I found Teana sitting outside in the driver's seat of the Lincoln looking visible grumpy and upset.

"I think I'm in trouble," I said as I watched my partner's impatient actions in the vehicle. "Shit.. .I forgot that we had a run today. I'm sorry Nanoha, but I think I have to break our plans again."

Nanoha nodded sullenly at the unexpected news. I couldn't help but notice tears brimming her eyes. "It's okay, Fate-chan. I understand," she said quietly.

I glanced out the window again. "Man, Teana looks really angry this morning. I doubt it's because I wasn't outside when she got here."

"Didn't she finally go out on a date with Subaru last night?" Nanoha asked as she walked towards the bathroom to retrieve her clothing.

"Hmmm... Maybe it didn't go well?"

I slipped my towel off near the bed and started to get dressed myself. I could feel Nanoha eyeing my half-naked form as she reentered the room after dressing again in the bathroom. She crossed the room to assist me in putting on my side-lacer bra.

"It's hard to keep my hands off you right now," she said as she concentrated on pulling the strings tighter.

I sighed and pulled my shirt up over my shoulders and started buttoning it. "I know. I feel the exact same way." After I tucked it in, Nanoha stood in front of me with my tie in her hand. She pulled my collar up first and placed the loop over my head. She then pulled my collar back down and made sure my tie was on straight for me.

"Do you think you can give me a ride to the club? I have rehearsal today with Carim this afternoon. If not, I can take the trolley."

"No, we can take you," I replied. "We have to stop by there anyway to pick up the payment for today's run."

"Where are you having to go today?" she asked as we walked out of my apartment.

"We're picking up some of premium whiskey today from up north. It's coming in through Milwaukee this time. It's through a little seafood restaurant by the bay."

"You have to go that far?" Her question was laced with disappointment again.

"It's only about a six-hour trip total. I'll be back before you know it," I assured her. "Although, after that I've got to move some rum so I can get the containers back. And _then_ I have to get the ingredients to start a new mash as soon as possible. I don't think I'll be able to see your show tonight, honestly."

"I understand, Fate-chan," she said again quietly.

Before she and I walked out the front door of the apartment complex, I noticed Nove and Dieci standing outside the basement door on their smoke break. "I should be back before you guys have to leave. If not, just shut it down as usual," I told them. They both waved in response.

"How does it feel to be a boss now?" Nanoha asked as we exited out the door into the chilly October morning. She grasped my arm from warmth as we walked down the walkway towards the car.

"It's a lot of more responsibility than I thought it would be. Sometimes I feel like I'm just babysitting," I admitted.

"Hey, Teana!" Nanoha greeted cheerfully as we approached the vehicle and its sulking driver. Teana's mood seemed to become less foul when she noticed Nanoha was with me. It really was difficult for anyone to stay angry with her around. Her cheerful and infectious smile was able to brighten most people's days.

"Hey, Nanoha," she replied with a genuine smile. "I didn't realize you stayed here last night?"

"I just stopped by to say hi to Fate-chan this morning." I held open the door for her and she slid over to the middle of the front seat. The soft top on the car was currently up, and I chose to squeeze in beside her for the body warmth versus riding in the backseat.

"How did it go last night with Subaru?" I asked. Teana immediately frowned again and pulled the car away from the curb. She shifted into second gear in a huff.

"She is such a pain in the ass..." she grumbled.

"Ah, not good then?" Nanoha guessed.

"No, not good at all. It was terrible. But what can you expect from her, really?"

I continued to press her for more information. "Is that it then? No more dates?"

Teana looked over to me and Nanoha a few times and shifted in her seat uncomfortably. "No... I agreed to go out with her again next week."

Nanoha clapped her hands together and held them in front of her mouth in an attempt to hide her smile from Teana. She looked over to me, and we both couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Shut up!" Teana shouted as a blush peppered her cheeks. She then glanced over at Nanoha's brown overcoat. "Is that new?" she asked, obviously changing the subject.

"Um-hmm! I got it after modeling for a catalog yesterday."

"Did they pay you pretty well on top of that?"

"Yeah, it wasn't bad. They offered me another job for next week, too." Nanoha reached over and rested her hand above my knee. She looked over at me tentatively, as if the make sure I was okay with the news.

"That's great, Nanoha," I said and kissed her on the cheek.

"Pretty soon you guys will never see each other at this rate," Teana mentioned as turned the car down a new street.

"Y-Yeah... That is something we are having to deal with, honestly," Nanoha replied.

Teana hummed thoughtfully. "It seems like it would be easier if you two just moved in together? Between what you both make now, you could probably afford something decent."

Nanoha paused in the conversation as she seemed to contemplate Teana's words. She then looking over at me with her eyes shining brightly, almost imploring me to agree to the possibility of us living together. I met her gaze steadily as I considered whether it was too soon or not for us to be exploring that option. I finally just shook my head reluctantly.

"I don't know, Nanoha... I may end up getting too spoiled coming home to you every night. How could we possibly handle something like that?"

My back crashed against the door frame when Nanoha threw herself against me. The impact sent my hat flying off my head to floorboard below. "Would you really want to live with me, Fate-chan?" she asked eagerly.

"I'd be crazy not to, wouldn't I?" Nanoha grabbed my face in my hands and pressed her lips hard against mine, pinning me against the door.

"Ah, geez..." I heard Teana groan beside us when she didn't pull away. "I'm never suggesting anything to you guys again."

Nanoha immediately turned around in the seat and wrapped her arms around Teana's shoulders. "Thank you, Teana," she said happily.

Teana blushed furiously as we pulled into the alleyway behind The Orchid Lounge. "N-No problem, Nanoha," she stammered.

After exiting the car, we all approached the back door of the lounge and entered into the hallway that led to the kitchen. I grabbed Nanoha by the hand to stop her before we got too far into the club. "I'll be there in a minute, Teana," I said. She waved over her shoulder and continued walking towards the office without me.

"Are you really sure about this, Fate-chan?" Nanoha then asked.

"More than anything, Nanoha. I'm not sure how much time I have to help you look for a place, though?"

Nanoha leaned forward and gave me a quick kiss. "Leave that to me then. I'll find us something."

"You're too good to me, you know that?"

"Maybe?" she replied playfully. "But I don't mind. As long as you trust me with it."

I nodded. "I do. You have much better taste than me, after all."

"Ah! I'm so happy about this, Fate-chan!" she suddenly exclaimed and threw her arms around me again. "I just... I really hate your apartment. I'm sorry."

I had to laugh at her candidness. "I know. I do, too. It's terrible."

"I'll come by your place again tomorrow morning before church," she added as we started walking towards the end of the hallway again.

"Okay, I'll see you then." Nanoha left one last lingering kiss on my cheek before we walked away in opposite directions. She headed towards the dressing room in the back of the club. I pushed opened the office door to find Teana again and was instead greeted by the sight of Shamal with her arms crossed over her chest. Hayate was sitting behind the desk with a glean in her eyes.

"So.. what's this I hear about you shacking up with one of our star performers, hmm?" Shamal asked playfully.

**oOOOo**

**Nanoha POV**

I practically skipped down the hallway to the dressing room and burst through the door, completely surprising Carim inside. She fumbled with one of her earrings and caught it against her chest before gaping at me with a wide-eyed expression.

"You scared the shit out of me, Nanoha," she gasped.

"Sorry! Wait, what are you doing here so early?"

"Ginga dropped me off here. She has a run in Lafayette with Subaru. So, what has you so excited today?"

"Oh, nothing..." I replied coyly as I sat down in the chair next to her.

Carim narrowed her eyes and turned fully in her seat to face me. "Am I really going to have to draw it out of you, Nanoha?"

I bit my bottom lip and raised my eyebrows at her expectantly. One of my favorite things was tease Carim with news like this, especially when it had something to do with Fate. She and I almost had a rivalry going regarding our relationships, with each of us in playful competition over which one of ours was progressing better than the others.

"You have to guess," I finally said.

"Guess?" she repeated. "Well, if you're acting like this happy is has to do with her. Damnit! And I was doing so well with Ginga, too."

I smiled and leaned an elbow against the dressing room table. "Teana suggested that Fate and I move in together, and she said yes," I announced.

"AAHH!" she screamed and threw her arms around me. "Nanoha! How am I supposed to compete with that?!"

I hugged her back tightly, but as she pulled away from me I could feel my smile fall a little. "Well, it _is_ great. But we aren't moving too fast, are we?"

"Well, maybe?" Carim replied thoughtfully. "But you two are meant for each other. Time doesn't matter in your case, honestly."

"You're right. Plus I'll be able to see her so much more now, I think."

"Well, let's hurry up. We might as well get rehearsal out of the way. Maybe we can go looking for your new apartment together this afternoon?"

"You would help me out?" I asked.

"Of course! I'll probably drag Ginga along if she gets back in time. That way I can drop a few hints of my own in the process," she said with a playful wink. A soft knock unexpectedly came to the dressing room door while we continued to get ready for rehearsal.

"Come in!" I said loudly.

"Hellooooo?" a cheerful voice called out. Carim and I were immediately on our feet when we caught sight of our visitor.

"Hayate! I didn't realize you were here at the club. How are you today?" Carim asked.

Hayate waved her hand. "I'm doing good. I came to say congratulations to Nanoha. I just heard the news about you and Fate," she said.

I could feel my cheeks flush in embarrassment. "Thank you. I guess word travels fast, huh?"

"There are no secrets in the family. I was actually thinking of taking you both out to lunch today to celebrate."

"Oh, that would be wonderful! But what about rehearsal?"

"It's fine. I'm sure you can skip it for just one day. We'll make it a girls' day out," she replied and abruptly turned to walk back out the door. Carim and I scrambled to collect our belongs to hurry after her.

"What is she up to?" Carim whispered as we followed behind her in the hallway.

"I have no idea." Hayate rarely held informal engagements with us, albeit it was mostly due to her busy schedule. With the business of the club growing more and more everyday, she often found herself tied up with juggling that on top of her other business ventures and laundering practices.

"I hope you don't mind, I have to make a quick stop first before we go to lunch?" she mentioned as we approached her white Mercedes parked behind the club.

"Of course. If we can help with anything, just let us know," I replied. I squeezed into the middle of the front seat first. Carim slide in beside me and shut the passenger door behind her.

"It's possible I may need your help, actually." Hayate pulled out of the parking spot and began driving us to the unknown destination. "So, I hear you two have been getting a lot of extra modeling jobs now?" she then asked.

"Yes, we have. But we don't allow it to affect our work at the club in any way," I replied.

Hayate smiled. "I know. You both have been nothing but good to the family and I thank you for that. I hope that we will be able to keep you with us for a long as possible."

"You treat us so well. I don't have plans on going anywhere," I said.

"Me, neither," Carim added.

"That's good to hear."

A comfortable silence fell over the cab of the car as we left our bustling section of Chicago and entered into a more residential district of town. New brick bungalow-style homes lined the streets at each turn we took.

"This development is one of the family's investments," Hayate said to us as we pulled up to the curb in front of one of the homes. I first noticed the broken front window that was boarded up from the inside. The lawn looked in disarray with trash littered across the front of it, while the grass itself looked like it hadn't been trimmed in quite some time.

"Yuck. What happened here?" Carim asked the eyesore in the middle of the other pristine houses.

"The previous tenant was a drunk. I had Vita throw him out a few days ago. This is the first time I've been able to stop by to see the damage myself. It's the price you pay for being a landlord, honestly. Not all renters are this bad, though. Just some of them."

Carim and I were careful not to step on any of the broken glass littering the porch as we approached the house. Hayate unlocked the front door and pushed her way inside. The living room was filled with trash as well, and there was an unidentifiable smell coming from the direction of the kitchen.

"Well, this certainly needs a lot of work..." Hayate mumbled as she looked around.

"It's not too bad, though," I said as I looked up the stairs, although I was sure there was an equal mess to be discovered on the other end of them. "It just needs to be cleaned really well."

"So you think it has potential?" she asked me while standing in the middle of the trashed living room.

"Well, of course! It would be a great home once it was all fixed up again. A little paint and wallpaper could go a long way."

Hayate smiled and slapped me hard on the shoulder. I then felt her press something into my hand. "Great! I'll leave it up to you then, Nanoha. One less thing I have to worry about."

I looked down at the key to the front door in my hand as she passed by me. "Wait, Hayate! I'm sorry, but I don't really have time to clean this up. I mean, I can try to, but between the jobs and performing - "

"Are you sure, Nanoha? I thought you would want to be able to fix up your new home with Fate how you see fit?" she said in the doorway. I clutched the key in my hand and turned towards to Carim. She was grinning at me broadly.

"Well, shit! You really beat me and Ginga now!" Carim said happily and gave me a huge hug.

I stood with my arms at my sides in a state of shock and disbelief. "Is this really happening?" I asked quietly as I looked around the house.

"Yes. Now let's get out of here before I throw up. I'm starving anyway." Hayate left me in my stupor as she exited the house to head back to the car.

I shook my head and ran out the front door after her. "I really can't accept this," I tried to protest as I caught up with her on the walkway.

"Don't worry about it. You guys just stay here until you decide whether you want to live here or not. If you do, you can buy it from me. If you end up not wanting it after all, I'll just sell it. But at least it will be fixed up and liveable again in the meantime."

I finally nodded. "Okay, I can handle that."

"So, are you guys ready to eat?" she asked as she walked back to the car. I turned around one last time to take in the sight of where Fate and I would be calling home soon. I removed my set of keys from the pocket of my overcoat and slid the new key to the house onto the keyloop.

"No place like home. Right, Nanoha?" Carim said when I finally climbed into the car beside her.

I smiled brightly at her and Hayate. "You're absolutely right, Carim. Everything is pretty much perfect now."

* * *

**A/N:** Infamous last words, right? I'll update soon ~Nissanity


	9. Chapter 9 - The Double-Cross

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters from or the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha anime, nor any other movie, actor, brand, song, or character referenced or stated in this story.

* * *

******Rum-Runner Girls**

by : ~Nissanity~

******Chapter 9 – ****__****The Double-Cross**

* * *

******Fate POV **

The smell of rotting fish filled my senses when I felt the Lincoln come to a jarring stop at our destination. I had been sleeping the entire trip up to Milwaukee while Teana drove the first half of the run. When I woke up, I found our car facing the beautiful and vast Lake Michigan. I then looked over to my right and found barrels full of fish guts and mounds of restaurant trash right next to the passenger side door.

"Ugh... Jesus," I moaned and turned my face away towards the driver's seat.

"Rise and shine, sweetheart," Teana sang back. "Come on, they should be waiting for us inside the kitchen."

"I'm getting out your side," I told her as I eyed the trash beside me one last time. The last thing I wanted was the stench of dead fish on my clothes the entire trip home.

Teana shut the car door behind me and began walking towards the rear of the seafood restaurant. This was the first time we had made a run at this location, although my mother assured me that the owners were reputable and had conducted business dealings with the Yagami's before. As we neared the building, loud banging and metal hitting against metal could be heard from inside the kitchen. Teana knocked loudly on the worn and faded screen door that looked about ready to fall off its hinges.

"Just a second!" a burly voice yelled from within. I stretched my arms over my head in preparation of carrying the heavy crates of rum to the car.

"You sure you're okay to drive back to Chicago, Fate?" Teana asked me while we waited.

"Yeah, why?"

"You were out like a rock earlier. I even stopped for gas once and you didn't move. You were drooling and everything."

I yawned and then grinned back at her. "Thanks for noticing. No, that nap did me good. I should be okay."

"What do ya want?" asked the gruff man now standing at the door. The cook was in an apron that was stained pink with fish blood on the front. I grimaced when I noticed the curly arm and back hair blanketing his sweaty skin like a fur coat. I reminded myself to never actually eat at this restaurant if I were ever in Milwaukee again.

"We're here to pick up the Yagami shipment," Teana announced.

"That shipment was picked up ten minutes ago," he replied.

"But that's impossible! We're the runners," I said and pointed between me and Teana.

The cook shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you. They had all the right information when they came to pick it up."

"Can you tell us what they looked like, at least?" Teana then asked.

"I don't know," he responded with more aggravation present in his voice. "Some man and a little girl. Look, I have things I've got to do here. Get lost."

The screen door slammed shut abruptly in our faces. Teana and I walked at a hurried pace back to the car. "Oh, this is bad. Really, really bad," she said.

I held the door open for her so that she could enter in through the driver's side first and crawl over to the passenger seat. I got into the car afterward and started it as quickly as I could and shifted into reverse. We were back on the road again before we discussed the situation any further.

"So what does this mean?" I asked.

"Well, I don't want to jump to any conclusions. It could have been something corrupt going on at the restaurant. But we should stop as soon as possible and call Shamal."

"Okay, you just tell me where to go," I replied.

"There was a diner I saw on the outskirts of the city. We can stop there. You should get some coffee too, by the way," she added.

I glanced over at her. "Why's that?"

"I don't care what you say, you still look exhausted. And I don't feel like dying just because you fell asleep at the wheel."

I inadvertently yawned during her last comment, as if the further prove her point about my tiredness. I then rubbed my bloodshot eyes and readjusted in the seat. "It's probably not a bad idea, actually."

Teana pointed off to the right when were just outside the city. "Right there," she said as she gestured to a roadside diner called Berkley's Cafe. I veered off the road and parked the car in front of the building. She and I both went inside the diner and were surprised to find it currently had no other customers inside. The only other people present were a red-headed waitress behind the front counter and a balding cook visible through the kitchen window.

"What can I getcha girls today?" the waitress asked as we each sat down on a bar stool in front of her.

"Coffee, please," I said.

"Me, too. And do you happen to have a pay phone, by chance?" Teana asked.

The waitress flipped over the two mugs resting on the counter at our seats and began to fill them from a nearby coffee urn. "Right around the corner, darlin'," she replied.

"Thanks. I'll be right back, Fate."

I yawned again as I poured sugar into my coffee and stirred it with the spoon. I could soon hear Teana depositing change into the machine around the corner. She spun the rotary dial as I brought the coffee mug to my lips.

"So, where are you from?" the waitress asked as she wiped the counter.

"Chicago," I replied between sips of the much needed beverage.

"I love Chicago! It's... just..." I glanced up when I heard the waitress inexplicably trailing off in front of me. I noticed her face was suddenly frozen as she stared at something over my shoulder. I turned around on the stool and looked out the window behind me in the same direction. I had just registered the sight of a blond man and girl with purple hair pointing tommy guns towards the diner when their weapons exploded in a reign of gunfire.

"GET DOWN!" I shouted to the waitress behind the bar. She ducked down and I fell to the floor between the stools. I low-crawled on my stomach towards the booths nearby for some semblance of protection from the bullets.

Once I reached the bank of booths, I leaned against one of the dividers and covered my head with my hands. The windows of the restaurant continued to shatter all around me. The glassware that was lining the bar exploded as the barrage of bullets kept pouring in from outside. I looked up in the direction where I knew Teana had been standing last but could not see her.

Although it felt like an eternity to me, the siege ended about five seconds after it began. No one in the restaurant moved until we heard the two assailants reenter their vehicle and start driving away. They spit gravel and rocks with their tires during their get away out of the parking lot.

"Are you all right, Livy?" I heard the cook ask through the kitchen window.

"I'm alive, Marty!" the waitress replied from her hiding spot on the floor behind the counter.

I stumbled to my feet to try to find Teana but fell back down when a searing pain in my chest overtook me. I looked down under my suit jacket and noticed blood starting to seep out from a gunshot wound I had received to my left shoulder.

"Fate! Are you alive?!" I heard Teana shout from the hallway.

"Yeah, Teana. I'm alive. You can come out. They're gone." I willed myself off the floor that was littered with debris and leaned back against the booth divider again.

Glass shards crunched under Teana's feet as she jogged to where I was sitting on the floor. "Oh, shit! You're all cut up," she mentioned as she knelt down in front of me.

"I got hit, too." Her eyes darted across my torso until she saw the now growing blood stain on my left shoulder beginning to seep through my jacket.

"Ma'am, do you have a towel I can use please?" Teana asked. Livy reached under the counter and tossed Teana a white hand towel. She folded it twice as she walked back over and knelt down in front of me again. I gritted my teeth in pain when she pressed the towel over the wound.

"How bad does it look?" I asked her.

"I have no idea, honestly. All I know is we need to get you some help. Can you stand up?"

I wrapped my right arm around Teana's shoulder. "I should be able to," I said. Teana helped me stand, although it almost felt like every muscle in my shoulder was ripping apart as I did so. I groaned loudly as waves of pain and nausea washed over me once I was finally on my feet. I removed my arm from around her shoulder so I could hold the towel in place over my wound myself.

"There's a hospital a few blocks away. It's the one for the county," Livy told us.

"Thank you, ma'am. I'm sorry about your diner," Teana said as she helped me take slow steps towards the door.

Livy sighed and looked around the cafe at the damage. "Well, it certainly isn't the first time this is happened. Although I have no idea why they did it now."

"Good luck with that wound, young lady," Marty added through the kitchen window. "Make sure you stop the bleeding."

"Thank you, sir. I'll try," I replied.

Teana helped me enter into the passenger side of the car first. The searing pain before was now becoming a dull ache as I slid into the seat, although I wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not. My partner jumped into the driver's seat and started up the engine.

"At least they left the car for us in one piece. So, did you want to go to that hospital the waitress told us about?" she asked.

"No. The hospital might call the cops. I can't risk it. Not after what happened last time I was arrested."

Teana's face was racked with concern as we started driving away from the diner. "I don't know if you can make it all the way back to Chicago, Fate?"

"What is it, about three hours away? I think I can make it. What did Shamal say when you called her, by the way?"

"She said right away that it must have been a set up on our end. The restaurant wouldn't have anything to gain by doing our family wrong. She thinks we must have a mole in the organization or something."

I looked down at the white towel that was slowly becoming red on one side. I clenched my teeth and pressed it into my shoulder harder, even though the motion caused me to see stars. "Do you think she heard them shooting at us?"

"I dropped the phone once it all started and ducked for cover. I know she must have heard everything. I hung up before I went to find you."

"Do you want to stop to call her again?" I asked as I shifted uncomfortably in the seat.

"Yeah, right. So that we can get shot at again or you can bleed out more? No, I think we should just keep driving."

I glanced down at the speedometer and noticed she was doing twenty miles an hour over the speed limit. She veered into the other lane to pass by a large ice truck in front of us. We swerved back to the right immediately, narrowly avoiding a head-on collision with a car traveling in the opposite direction.

I groaned again at the jarring movements of the car. "No point in us getting killed in a car accident instead," I said.

"Hey, you just sit over there and focus on not dying. Leave the driving to me," Teana replied.

**oOOOo**

**Nanoha POV**

Loud laughter and giggles erupted in the cab of the Mercedes as Hayate pulled into the parking lot behind the club. We had just had our extended lunch together after inspecting the house that Fate and I would soon call home. Carim was currently sharing the details of what happened on the date between Subaru and Teana, which was information she had learned from Ginga.

"I can't believe Subaru took her to an ice cream parlor! It's so cold outside!" I cried and wiped laughter tears from my eyes.

"Apparently she ordered this huge amount of ice cream, too. I'm talking about twelve scoops of it!" Carim added.

"Why?! It's such a waste of ice cream!" Hayate said loudly.

"No, she ate all of it!" Carim shouted back.

"Well, I guess that's it between them then?" Hayate guessed as we walked to the back door of the club together.

"No! Teana agreed to go out with her again!" I said and giggled harder.

Carim clapped her hands together. "That's priceless! How could Teana agree to go out with her again after all that?"

"Maybe she is a glutton for punishment or something?" The three of us chatted happily in the hallway about the upcoming show that night and when we expected the runners to return. When we walked into the club we found Shamal, Signum, and Vita huddled together in serious discussion by the office doorway. They turned to us with grim faces once they noticed our presence.

"What is it? What happened?" Hayate asked, her expression now turning completely serious.

Shamal glanced over at me quickly at first. She took Hayate by the arm and pulled her away from me and Carim into a somber discussion. My eyes darted back and forth between Signum and Vita nervously.

"What's going on?" I asked them. The graveness etched into their features when they looked at me caused my heart to plummet into my stomach.

"We don't know much of anything right now, Nanoha," Signum began. "But we know that there was a shooting where Teana and Fate were at in Milwaukee."

"A shooting? What do you mean a...? Where are they? Where's Fate?!" I asked her loudly in a panic.

"We don't know. They haven't contacted us since it happened. It's been a few hours."

"Well, have you checked her apartment? Or Teana's? Maybe they ended up there?" Carim suggested.

Signum shook her head regretfully. "They know to come back here first to the club. Besides... All the distilling equipment in the basement is gone. Fate's apartment was destroyed, too. Someone set it on fire."

I felt my knees buckle completely at the paralyzing news. Carim caught me in her arms before I came crashing to the ground. "This can't be happening..." I whispered as she helped guide me to the floor.

"What about Ginga and Subaru?" Carim then asked.

"They called us from outside of Lafayette a while ago. They didn't have any problems with their run. It seems that Fate was the main target."

I raised a trembling hand to my forehead as Carim continued to hold me tightly. "Why...? W-Who would do this to her?" I asked.

"Those punk-ass Scagliettis! They think they can get away with this?!" Vita growled angrily.

"Nove and Dieci wouldn't do this to her!" I shouted back and shook my head defiantly. The two girls had worked nearly as hard as Fate had all these months. It wouldn't make sense for them to stab her in the back like that.

"Who else could have been, Nanoha?" Carim said and squeezed her arms around me tighter.

The tears finally fell from my eyes. I allowed myself to succumb to the overwhelming grief of the betrayal Fate had been subjected to, as well as the possibility she may not even be making it back alive at all. I wept uncontrollably until I almost couldn't breath. Hayate eventually came to kneel in front of me and placed her hand on my shoulder.

"Nanoha, the family is going to take care of this. They aren't going to get away with it," she assured me.

Loud honking erupted from outside the club in the alleyway. "Fate-chan!" I shouted when I recognized it as the one from the Lincoln she and Teana drove. I tried to stand up from the floor but Hayate and Carim kept me in my place.

"Stay there, Nanoha," Hayate said. "They will go see what's going on. It could still be dangerous."

Vita drew her gun from under her arm and began running down the hallway with Signum and Shamal close behind her. I could hear the back door slam open as they exited the building, soon followed by muffled shouting. I clasped my hands together in front of me and prayed silently for Fate's return while we waited helplessly.

"Get her into the office!" I heard Shamal shout in the hallway a few moments later.

My worst nightmare proved true when Teana burst through the doorway with her jacket covered in blood. Signum was helping Fate walk in with her arm slung over her shoulder, although she mostly was dragging and carrying her at that point. Her normally white button up shirt was completely soaked red underneath her blood-stained jacket. She looked to have numerous lacerations on her face and hands as well.

"Fate-chan!" I shouted in horror at her state and ran over to them.

"Nanoha? Open the office door, please?" Shamal asked as she continued to press a new towel over a wound on her shoulder. I opened up the door and turned on the light inside for them. Signum guided Fate to the small couch in the corner of the office and laid her down on it. Fate's head rolled to the side on the cushion and she didn't move. I knew then she was not conscious.

"She's been fading in and out since we got back to Chicago," Teana said hurriedly by the office door. "I tried to keep pressure on it as best as I could as I drove."

"She might be going into shock," Shamal said and looked around. Her eyes fell on my new jacket from the modeling shoot. "Nanoha, can I have your coat please?"

I ripped the heavy brown overcoat off of me as quickly as I could and handed it to her. She placed it over Fate and tucked it around her to try to keep her body temperature from dropping any lower. She then removed the towel from the wound and looked under it before pressing it back down again.

"It looks like the bleeding has mostly stopped. She's lost a lot of blood, though."

"She's going to be okay, right?" I asked desperately.

"I don't know, honestly. It could go either way."

"Are you going to have to take out the bullet?" Teana then asked her.

"Not a chance. It's probably what's keeping her from bleeding out now. No, it needs to stay in."

"Maybe we should get her to the hospital?" Carim suggested.

"She said no when I asked before. She is worried that they would just call the cops," Teana replied.

"She could need blood, though?"

All eyes in the room turned to Hayate. She studied Fate's face closely before coming to a decision. "She's not going to the hospital. She will just stay here until she recovers."

Teana made a motion for the office door. "I should go tell Nove and Dieci that Fate isn't coming back today. That way they aren't waiting around for her."

"I don't think so, Teana," Hayate said to stop her. "There's nothing left. The equipment in the basement. Her apartment. It's all gone."

"Gone...?" she repeated and looked around at all of us in a state of confusion. She then stared back down at her unconscious partner on the couch. "They set her up?" she asked in stunned disbelief.

"It seems like it," Shamal replied. "Nanoha, can you take over keeping pressure on the wound?" I nodded and knelt down beside Fate on the couch as Shamal stood back up.

"Let's all go outside so we can discuss this further with Teana. We need to decide how the family is going to respond to this," Hayate announced. I gave a reassuring nod to Teana before she was led out of the room. Shamal, Signum, and Vita followed close behind them.

"Nanoha, is there anything I can do for you?" Carim asked.

I reached into the pocket of my jacket that was currently covering Fate to retrieve my set of keys. "Can you please feed my cats at my place? I'm not leaving here until I know Fate-chan is okay."

"No problem, Nanoha," she replied and took them from my hand. "I'm going to wait outside for Ginga to get back if that's alright?"

"Okay. Thank you for being here, Carim."

Carim reached down to give me one last hug. "Of course. You're my best friend, after all. And I know Fate's going to make it through this just fine."

"Um-hmm. I'm sure she will, too."

I gently brushed Fate's blond bangs away from her forehead after Carim had left the office and shut the door. I moved to sit next to her on the couch and studied her face closely. Her normally rosy cheeks and mouth were now tinted a dull purple, and when I ran my fingertips across her parted lips they felt a bit cold to the touch. I gingerly made my way to lay beside her on her uninjured side so that I could try to give her some of my body warmth. She stirred a little as I settled in next to her but she did not wake up fully.

"Fate-chan...?" I began quietly after a moment. "Fate-chan, I just wanted to let you know that I'm here, okay? I'm not going anywhere."

Fate moaned slightly in her sleep and then flinched in what I presumed to be in pain. I laid my head down besides hers and continued speaking to her. "We have a house now, Fate-chan. A home. They may have taken everything away from you now but that doesn't matter. We can start over again, just you and me. You have to make it through this, though. I love you too much and we've come so far already. I can't lose you now. Let's keep going together, okay?"

I closed my eyes as desperate tears slipped out again and fell onto the jacket between us. I clenched the towel in my hand still pressed to her gunshot wound underneath her jacket. The thought of losing her after we had made plans to start a new life together consumed me. I had to suppress a scream of frustration and grief as I lay next to her on the couch. I instead cried into her uninjured shoulder for an unknown amount of time in the now silent office.

"Nanoha...?" I heard her husky voice say quietly beneath me. My eyes flew open and looked up at burgundy orbs that were now staring down at me. I rested my chin on her chest and noticed that some of Fate's coloring had returned to her lips and cheeks.

"Fate... cha...?" I whispered.

"Are you okay, Nanoha?" she asked me.

I laughed a little and shook my head at the concern apparent in her voice. "You get shot and you're wondering if I'm okay?" I replied.

"You were crying. I hate it when you cry."

I sniffled and wiped my eyes with my sleeve before I crawled up the couch to hover over her. "I know you do. I was just worried about you."

Fate looked down at her body and noticed my new overcoat covering her. She laid her head back down on the cushion with a disappointed expression. "Your coat is probably ruined now," she said sadly.

"It's probably saving your life. I couldn't be more grateful for that."

I felt Fate raise her free hand to place on the back of the head."Nanoha...? I tried tell you something earlier at my apartment but I didn't have a chance to then. I want to tell you now before anything else happens."

"Hmmm... You mean, when you were going to tell me that you love me?" I guessed.

"Yes. You figured it out, I take it?" She smiled and ran her fingers through my hair, twirling a few of my short locks around them.

"Um-hmm. But you can still say it anyway. I won't mind."

Fate leaned up slightly to kiss me first. I gently laid her head back down onto the couch and brought my fingertips up to touch her cheek. I felt her playful smile meet mine before she pulled away a little. "I love you, Nanoha," she whispered.

"I love you too, Fate-chan..." I kissed her again, this time letting it linger longer than it had before. Her body started to shift a little beneath me when our embrace became more intimate. I immediately pulled away.

"Oh, sorry. Are you in pain?" I asked and looked over her injured shoulder again.

Fate's cheeks flushed a little. "Well, no. I was, um..."

I sighed loudly and pretended to pout at her. "Geez, Fate-chan. Even when you're close to dying you still only have one thing on your mind."

"I can't help it. You're too beautiful. I can't resist you."

I smiled and began to pull away from her on the couch completely. "Alright, I'm going to go let everyone know you are doing better. You just stay here and behave yourself. I'll be back."

"Okay, I'll just be here. I can't guarantee I'll behave myself, though," she said casually. She then closed her eyes and seemed to be losing consciousness again. I fought the urge to crawl back on the couch with her and instead walked out the office door to update everyone. I was surprised to find Lindy and Precia standing nearby in panicked discussion with Hayate.

"How is she?!" Lindy asked me when she saw me exit the office.

"Back to her normal self, pretty much."

"Oh, thank god!" she said with a sigh of relief. "Hayate, may we discuss this more later? Precia and I would like see Fate now."

"Of course. Just come find me afterward."

Lindy and Precia both gave me a quick hug as they passed by me. They then entered into the office and shut the door behind them. When I looked over at Hayate, I noticed she seemed even more distressed that before. "What is it?" I asked.

"The two Scaglietti girls who work down at the docks also didn't show up for work today. It pretty much confirms who was behind all of this."

I shook my head in grief at the entire situation. "So I guess the question now is - - how do you respond to it?"

"Yep. I can give two shits about the equipment. It wasn't the best anyway and we can buy Fate better to work with. But to try and kill one of my girls? That crosses a line."

"When should we tell Fate-chan about her being set up?"

"Let's give it a few more days. She isn't out of the woods yet by any means. There's no point in stressing her out now."

"Are you going to open club tonight?"

"This place doesn't reopen until we find out what's going on exactly, just in case anyone else is being targeted."

The backdoor from the alleyway leading into the club suddenly opened with a bang, causing me to flinch with my nerves still on edge. I could then hear Vita, Signum, and Shamal shouted directives at someone as they approached the clubroom floor. The door from the hallway burst open and a very bloodied Nove and Dieci came crashing through it. They landed on the floor near our feet.

"What the fuck is this?!" Hayate shouted and gestured down to the two girls.

"We found these two outside the club. They said they wanted to tell the truth about what happened," Shamal replied.

"Sit up!" Hayate shouted. Nove and Dieci got to their knees and looked up at the angry mob boss tentatively. "You're lucky I don't kill you with my bare hands for what you did to my girl!" she yelled at them.

"They made us do it!" Nove shouted back. "And we didn't know anything about the hit until just now!"

"_They_? Who's behind this?!"

"Quattro and Uno," Dieci said. "They threatened to kill us if we didn't tell them everything we knew about your organization."

"And they are the ones who took out a hit on Fate?" Shamal asked as she came to stand in front of them as well.

"We didn't know anything about the hit!" Nove repeated. "We wouldn't have been a part of something like that!"

Hayate gestured to Vita to come stand beside her. She held her palm outstretched and Vita placed her six-shooter in her hand. She held the gun up in the air for the two girls to see clearly as she emptied the ammunition onto the ground. She then reached down to pick up a single bullet to reload the gun, spun the cylinder a few times and then flicked it back into place.

"Let's play a little game, shall we?" she said cheerfully as she waved the gun in the air. She then turned the barrel to point directly between Dieci's eyes. "You win if I don't end up blowing your brains out all over my club."

Dieci squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head away slightly. "We honestly didn't know anything about the hit!" she yelled. Hayate cocked the hammer on the gun in response.

"Still, you stole all the equipment after we gave you little shits a chance!" Shamal shouted back.

"They were going to kill us if we didn't!" Nove replied desperately. Hayate pulled the trigger of the gun and the click of the hammer echoed across the club walls. Dieci flinched and started crying after hearing the trigger pulled in front of her. Hayate then moved the gun to point directly at Nove's head next.

"Your chances are now a lot less than hers, you know?" Hayate told her.

"Lutecia! That's the name of the little girl who was hired! I overheard them talking about it earlier," Nove suddenly confessed. I looked over at Shamal in surprise. I had been convinced the two really didn't know anything about the hit until Nove's admission just now.

"Who else was involved?!" Hayate then asked and cocked the hammer on the gun again. Nove seemed to hesitate until she felt the barrel of the gun pressed against her forehead directly.

"Zest is the other person! That's really all I know!" she cried.

Hayate lowered the gun and attempted to hand it back to Vita. Nove looked relieved and started to breathe again, the sight of which angered me completely. I intercepted the gun from Hayate's grasp and returned it to its place against Nove's head.

"Let me make one thing clear. After what you did to Fate-chan, I'm ready to kill both of you myself. I don't play games."

"Nanoha, you wouldn't - " she tried to reason with me when I pulled the trigger on the gun. The click of the hammer echoed across the walls of the club again. Nove stared up at me in horrified disbelief when I cocked the gun a third time.

"Alright, I think you've made your point Nanoha." Hayate clasped the gun in my hands and pointed it away to the ground. "Now, you two go tell your little friends that we are coming for them next. Got it?"

Nove and Dieci scrambled to their feet and ran out of the club as fast as they could. Hayate finally pried the gun away from my hand and held it out to Vita again. She then smiled wildly at me.

"Jesus, Nanoha! I didn't know you had it in you?!" Hayate said as she placed her arm around my shoulder affectionately.

"No, I saw you palm the bullet. I knew it wasn't loaded. I may try to kill them if I see them again, though."

"They're as good as dead anyway. I'm sure Quattro and Uno already have plans for them," she replied.

"Why do you think they hijacked the shipment?" I asked.

"They are testing us to see how we respond," Shamal answered first. "It's about control. They want to find out if the organization is weak or not so they can try to take over our area."

"We should just kill them all and be done with it," Vita grumbled.

"We aren't going to respond with violence, at least not right away," Hayate told her. "That's what they want so they can start a turf war. For now, we get business back in order with some new equipment. They need to know that no matter feeble attempt they try to break us down, we will come back even stronger."

"What about the hitmen?" Vita then asked.

"We need to find out more about them for sure," Hayate told her. "Signum, you and Vita ask around. I'm sure they're bound to pop up at some point to ensure they finished the job. Fate will just have to lay low until we make sure they are no longer a threat."

"Lay low?" I repeated.

"Yes. As far as everyone else outside of the family is concerned... Fate is dead."

* * *

**A/N:** I'll update soon ~Nissanity~


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